CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether Broadband Delivery UK has set target maximum charges for physical, virtual and operational support systems interconnect products as part of the superfast broadband tender.

Edward Vaizey: As a condition of receiving state aid approval for a scheme, suppliers successful in being awarded Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) projects will be required to comply with a benchmarking mechanism that will constrain prices charged for wholesale access products and services to be similar to those available in other competitive areas of the country/EU.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what importance Broadband Delivery UK places on standardised interfaces amongst the criteria for suppliers bidding in the superfast broadband tenders.

Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) has included requirements for suppliers bidding to be appointed onto its Broadband Delivery Framework to adhere to appropriate industry standards for service provision, interconnection and operational support.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment Broadband Delivery UK has made of the quality of standardised wholesale access products offered by the remaining suppliers in the superfast broadband tender process.

Edward Vaizey: As part of its procurement process for the Broadband Delivery Framework, Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) is evaluating potential suppliers against a range of criteria including assurance that their solutions meet BDUK's minimum requirements and assessing of the quality of the wholesale access products and services they are offering.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the recent decision by the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee to support lowering the wholesale roaming rates proposed by the European Commission in Roaming III; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has not made any specific assessment of the recent decision by the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee to support proposals by the European Parliament to lower wholesale roaming rates.
	In adopting our position for negotiation of the price caps, DCMS has considered various proposals put forward on price caps for wholesale and retail costs for voice, SMS and data roaming in the European Union. These include the initial Commission proposals; revised proposals from the European Parliament and the recent work on wholesale costs submitted by the European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). DCMS note that the ITRE decision aligns the Parliament's proposals for wholesale price caps closely with the figures on costs recently advanced by BEREC.

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2011, Official Report, column 473W, on the Olympic Games 2012 contracts, how companies incurring substantial additional access costs during the London 2012 Olympic Games can apply for compensation.

Jeremy Hunt: Government and key Games delivery organisations, including the Metropolitan police, have for some time been consulting and engaging closely with communities and businesses to help minimise any disruptions to them. Any claims for compensation by businesses affected by Olympic measures would be considered on a case by case basis by the relevant responsible organisation. However, compensation will not be payable in the absence of an underlying legal basis for it and no Government funding has been specifically allocated to compensating businesses for the effect of security or transport measures.
	We are working to ensure that the effect of Games operations is clearly communicated. Transport for London, for example, have provided information on the Olympic and Paralympic Route Networks, while the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) have produced extensive advice to businesses on planning for the effects of the Games. We are continuing to work to ensure that disruption to businesses and individuals is kept to a minimum.

Regulations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

John Penrose: The following statutory instruments sponsored by the Department have been made between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012:
	The Natural History Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 2011.
	The Communications Act 2003 (Maximum Penalty for Contravention of Information Requirements) Order 2011.
	The Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2011.
	The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2011.
	The Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Machines in Adult Gaming Centres and Bingo Premises) Order 2011.
	The Categories of Gaming Machine (Amendment) Regulations 2011.
	The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.2) Order 2011.
	The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Advertising and Trading) (England) Regulations 2011.
	The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Appointed Day) Order 2011.
	The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No.5) Order 2011.
	The Wireless Telegraphy (Fixed Penalty) Regulations 2011.
	The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.3) Order 2011.
	The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.4) Order 2011.
	The Sports Grounds Safety Authority Act 2011 (Commencement) Order 2011.
	The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.5) Order 2011.
	The Code of Practice for Electronic Programme Guides (Addition of Programme Services) Order 2011.
	The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Dissolution) Order 2012.
	The Royal Parks and Other Opens Spaces (Amendment) Regulations 2012.
	The Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variations) Order 2012.
	There are no records of the cost to the Department in making these statutory instruments. The costs essentially consist of staff time. As such no reasonable estimate can be made, save at disproportionate cost.

Telephone Services

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps the Government is taking to reduce the cost of calling customer helplines using 08 telephone numbers, including from mobile telephones.

Edward Vaizey: This is an operational issue for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom set out possible changes in its consultation of 16 December 2010:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/simplifying-non-geo-numbers
	and is currently reviewing non-geographic numbers. Ofcom will present detailed proposals in a further consultation scheduled for the beginning of April.
	Ofcom intends to overhaul the charging of freephone (080) numbers, including those made from mobile telephones and other non-geographic ranges, including 084/087 numbers. The intentions set out in December 2011 included the recommendation that freephone (080) calls should be available from all telephones, including fixed and mobile and that there should be clear pricing rules for revenue sharing ranges to allow price comparison between providers and restrict the ability of mobile companies to exploit consumer confusion.

Telephone Services

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will discuss with consumer advocacy organisations the effects on low-income consumers of the use of 08 telephone numbers for customer helplines by utility companies, banks, airlines and other service providers.

Edward Vaizey: This is an operational issue for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Following discussions with consumers and industry Ofcom's view is that consumers, including those who are vulnerable, should be able to access socially important services, particularly if they are in a mobile only household. Consequently, Ofcom considers that there should be clear pricing rules for revenue sharing ranges to allow price comparison between providers and to restrict the ability of mobile companies to exploit consumer confusion. Therefore, Ofcom has been reviewing the system of non-geographic numbers and set out possible changes in its consultation of 16 December 2010:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/simplifying-non-geo-numbers/
	Ofcom will present further detailed proposals in its forthcoming consultation document, which is scheduled for the beginning of April. Ofcom has previously proposed that calls to freephone (080) numbers should be available from all telephones including fixed and mobiles. Also, recommendations for 084/087 revenue sharing ranges that were intended to overhaul the regulation of such calls to improve consumer understanding and confidence, while encouraging competition in prices and services. Contributions from all stakeholders, including consumer advocacy organisations, on the effects upon low-income consumers, are welcome and will help inform Ofcom's thinking on this important issue.

Telephone Services

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will estimate the average (a) length and (b) cost of a call to a customer helpline using an 08 telephone number; and if he will estimate the difference in cost of making such a call from a (i) landline and (ii) mobile telephone.

Edward Vaizey: This is an operational issue for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Where calls are made to freephone (080) numbers on a landline, then the calls are free in most cases, regardless of the length of the call. While freephone (080) calls made on mobiles will vary significantly in their charge (up to 40p per minute), it is not possible to provide an estimate of this nature, as research of this type has not been undertaken. However, Ofcom's analysis suggests that less than 10% of such calls are made on mobiles. Calls to other 084/087 numbers vary significantly in charges and it is not possible to provide information about customer helplines.
	Ofcom set out possible changes in their consultation of 16 December 2010:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/simplifying-non-geo-numbers
	and will present detailed proposals in its consultation document, which is scheduled for the beginning of April. Ofcom's initial proposals included a recommendation that freephone (080) telephone calls should be available for consumers, regardless of whether the call is made from a landline or mobile telephone. It also, recommended that other 084/087 revenue sharing ranges prices should be presented to consumers in a manner that ensured greater price clarity and encourage competition in prices and services.

Theatres: Museums and Galleries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) theatres, (b) museums, (c) galleries, (d) music arenas and (e) libraries he has visited in an official capacity since 1 January 2012.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 5 March 2012
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and I have visited various institutions related to my brief in the course of ministerial duties. I look forward to further visits in future.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment and Support Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his target is for referral of employment and support allowance claimants to Work programme providers; and how many referrals have been made to date.

Chris Grayling: The forecast volumes for mandatory employment and support allowance (ESA) payment groups over SR10 was 373,000 at the 'invitation to tender' stage and was 373,000 in the latest review of forecasts, published in December 2011.
	Between 1 June 2011 to the end of October 2011, there were 20,220 ESA referrals to the Work programme.
	A full breakdown of Work programme data can be found at the DWP Tabulation Tool:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp

Employment Schemes

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those aged 18 to 24 who have participated in the Government's Work Experience programme 
	(1)  have undertaken placements with employers in (a) the retail sector, (b) STEM-related industries and (c) the creative industries in (i) the UK, (ii) Lambeth local authority and (iii) Streatham constituency;
	(2)  have undertaken placements in (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) other businesses in (i) the UK, (ii) Lambeth local authority and (iii) Streatham constituency;
	(3)  have undertaken placements in the (a) voluntary and (b) private sector in (i) the UK, (ii) Lambeth local authority and (iii) Streatham constituency;
	(4)  have since gained employment with the organisations with which they undertook work experience in (i) the UK, (ii) Lambeth local authority and (iii) Streatham constituency.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department validates claims by providers of referrals to mandatory work activity prior to payment.

Chris Grayling: Referrals to mandatory work activity are made through Jobcentre Plus. An attachment fee is paid for a participant starting on the programme. The Department's Provider Assurance Team (PAT) conducts reviews of contracted providers, including those delivering MWA, to assess their systems of internal control and provide an assurance that payments made to these providers are in accordance with DWP and Treasury requirements.

Fraud

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will publish which organisations have reported allegations of fraud to his Department since May 2010; and when each such allegation was made;
	(2)  which Work programme contractors have reported allegations of fraud to his Department since April 2010.

Chris Grayling: To disclose details of organisations or individuals that have reported allegations of fraud to the Department would undoubtedly discourage individuals and organisations coming forward with such information in future. This would not be in the public interest.
	Fraud is not acceptable and any allegations of fraud reported to the Department are always treated very seriously and investigated thoroughly. Where investigators believe the matter is sufficiently serious they will act swiftly to refer the matter to the police.

Housing Benefit: Yorkshire and The Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of recipients of housing benefit in (a) Leeds North West constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each of the next three years; and how many such recipients of housing benefit there were in each case in each year since 2009.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his parliamentary question number 96539 on 29 February 2012, Official Report, column 392W.

Industrial Health and Safety: Mining

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the health risks created by the use of diesel-powered machinery in the UK coal mining industry.

Chris Grayling: A technical development survey was carried out in 1994-95 at the request of HSE to obtain more information on workplace exposure, to inform work on the assessment of toxic substances; and to produce future guidance. The survey involved the collection of data from a range of sites where diesel-powered vehicles were used and where there was likely to be an accumulation of diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEEs). HSE has issued guidance on the ‘Control of diesel engine exhaust emissions in the workplace’:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg187.htm
	In 2005 the Health and Safety Laboratory reviewed the situation in coal mines and produced a report ‘Controlling and Monitoring Exposure to Diesel Engine Exhaust Emissions in Coal Mines’:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2005/hsl0555.pdf
	I am placing both publications in the Library.

Jobcentre Plus: Complaints

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made by residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency about (a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) the Pension Service in the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the format requested.

Regulations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many regulations his Department made between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulations were made.

Chris Grayling: In response to the first part of the question, namely which regulations the Department for Work and Pensions has made between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012, these are given as follows:
	
		
			 DWP general UK SIs: 1 June 2011 to 31 January 2012 
			 Year Number Title Authority 
			 2011 2973 Occupational Pension Schemes (Employer Debt and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 2862 Social Security (Contribution Conditions for Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 2428 Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents and Partners) (Amendment) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 2426 Social Security (Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 2425 Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 3) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 2423 Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1801 Occupational Pension Schemes (Assignment, Forfeiture, Bankruptcy etc.) (Amendment) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1736 Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1724 Pensions Act 2007 (Abolition of Contracting-out for Defined Contribution Pension Schemes) (Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1707 Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1554 Social Security (Exemption from Claiming Retirement Pension) Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1497 Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Amendment Regulations DWP 
			 2011 1464 Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations DWP 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 397 Jobseeker's Allowance (Jobseeking and Work for Your Benefit) (Amendment and Revocation) Regulations DWP 
			 2012 215 Automatic Enrolment (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations DWP 
			 2012 199 Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (Amendment) Regulations DWP 
		
	
	In respect of SI 2011/2973 the Department published a Regulatory Impact Assessment, and an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the regulations will have a negligible impact on the public sector (see paragraph 10).
	In respect of SI 2011/2862 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the regulations will have a low impact on the public sector (see paragraph 10).
	In respect of SI 2011/2428 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the regulations will have a net saving impact on the public sector (see paragraph 10).
	In respect of SI 2011/2426 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible or low.
	In respect of SI 2011/2425 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on .the public sector is negligible.
	In respect of SI 2011/2423 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible.
	In respect of SI 2011/1801 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which does not refer to any cost to the public sector as the regulations apply to occupational pension schemes.
	In respect of SI 2011/1736 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible.
	In respect of SI 2011/1724 the Department has published a Regulatory Impact Assessment and an Explanatory Memorandum covering these regulations and SI 2011/1245, SI 2011/1730, SI 2011/1246, which advises this legislation reduces costs on the public sector.
	In respect of SI 2011/1707 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible; though there will be reduced administration costs on both benefit processing and for training providers.
	In respect of SI 2011/1554 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible.
	In respect of SI 2011/1497 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is minimal.
	In respect of SI 2011/1464 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible.
	In respect of SI 2012/397 the Department has published an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations on the public sector is negligible.
	In respect of SI 2012/215 the Department has published a Regulatory Impact Assessment and an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact on the public sector of the reforms is related to the costs of extending the workplace pension reforms to seafarers and offshore workers.
	In respect of SI 2012/199 the Department has published a Regulatory Impact Assessment and an Explanatory Memorandum which advises the impact of the regulations is a net saving to central and local government of £2.9 millions over a ten-year period.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he expects staff to transfer to his Department from (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) local authorities to help deliver universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The movement to one social welfare system making better use of IT and channel shift to online will cost less to run than the current system. This will mean an overall reduction in staff for 2017 compared with the number of staff delivering current services across DWP, HMRC and local authorities.
	Work continues to define the detailed arrangements for processing UC claims and as the UC process and delivery model is refined, we will have greater clarity on the total number of UC delivery sites and the volume of staff required.
	We are also looking at the requirements of TUPE regulations and the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice for staff transfers in the public sector. We hope to make an announcement late spring/early summer on how these impact on current and future services.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of total benefit costs (a) under universal credit, excluding the costs of transitional protection and (b) were universal credit not introduced in each financial year from 2013-14.

Chris Grayling: The 2010 spending review settlement included funding of £2 billion for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15. This is intended to meet all the costs of introducing universal credit including any increases in benefit expenditure, additional benefit administration costs in the transition period, the costs of IT development and implementation, communications, staff training and programme management.
	For the benefits administered by DWP the most recent expenditure forecast excluding the cost associated with the introduction of universal credit is shown in the following table. These figures are consistent with the 2011 Autumn Economic and Fiscal Outlook from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
	
		
			 Benefit expenditure 
			 £ billion, nominal terms 
			  2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 
			 Children 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 
			 Working age 53.2 53.0 53.0 53.5 
			 Pensioners 113.9 117.8 122.7 127.1 
			 Total 168.7 172.3 177.3 182.1 
			 Note: Figures relate to Great Britain or people resident overseas who are receiving Great Britain benefits, except for over-75 TV licences, which also cover Northern Ireland.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the cost of providing transitional protection under universal credit in each financial year from 2013-14.

Chris Grayling: We will offer transitional protection to universal credit recipients, which will ensure that households will not receive less as a result of their move to universal credit, where circumstances have remained the same. The overall cost of transitional protection in 2013-14 and beyond is subject to the build-up of universal credit caseload and the final policy design. The detailed approach to managing the build-up of universal credit caseloads is under development.
	The cost of transitional protection is included within the £2 billion spending envelope allocated for the introduction of universal credit over the spending review period.

Work Capability Assessment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of benefit fraud have been identified following a work capability assessment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The requested information is not available as DWP data are not linked in this way. The work capability assessment determines eligibility for employment and support allowance, it does not determine fraud and error in the benefits system.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Lobbying

Hugh Bayley: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many political lobbyists have been issued with passes to the Houses of Parliament since May 2010.

John Thurso: The basis for issuing passes to Members’ staff is that the sponsoring Member states that the individual is employed to assist with his or her parliamentary duties in one of the recognised roles. No passes have been issued since May 2010 on the basis that an individual is a political lobbyist.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Ethnic Minority Staff

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many and what proportion of senior civil servants in the Government Equalities Office were from an ethnic minority in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: Cabinet Office guidelines require each Department to report equality and diversity information using percentages rather than actual numbers so that small numbers are not disclosed, thereby breaching the Data Protection Act. However, as the number of senior civil servants in the Government's Equalities Office is particularly low I am unable to release figures for 2010 or 2011 as to do so could, in conjunction with other available information, breach the Data Protection Act.
	On 1 April 2011 the Government Equalities Office became part of Home Office Headquarters as part of a machinery of government change, and therefore figures for March 2012 are included in the Home Office reply in response to PQ98870, answered on 12 March 2012, Official Report, columns 11-12W.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities which regulations the Government Equalities Office repealed between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and if she will estimate the likely savings to the public purse in each case.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 12 March 2012
	From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, my hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many regulations she made between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulations were made.

Lynne Featherstone: Between June 2011 and January 2012 the following regulations were made in connection with the Equality Act 2010:
	The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011. Estimated impact costs to the public sector are: £8 million one-off (familiarisation) and £23 million per annum ongoing;
	The Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2011. Estimated impact costs to the public sector are: £135,000 one-off (familiarisation costs to local authorities);
	The Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No.7) Order 2011. Estimated impact costs to the public sector are nil/minimal and have not been separately assessed;
	The Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No.8) Order 2011. Estimated impact costs to the public sector are nil/minimal and have not been separately assessed.
	The administrative costs of preparing and introducing these regulations are not separately estimated, and are covered within the Home Office budgetary provision for 2011-12.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Manpower

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff he employs in his Department.

Owen Paterson: There are currently 162 members of staff working in the Northern Ireland Office, 84 of whom are directly employed by my Department; the remainder are on secondment or loan from other Government Departments/organisations.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Intelligence Services

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2012, Official Report, columns 444-5W, on the police: intelligence services; what plans he has to bring forward the publication of the Memoranda of Understanding between the security services and the police under the commitment made in Annex E of the St Andrews Agreement.

Owen Paterson: A protocol setting out arrangements for managing issues which are national security related was shared with the Assembly and Executive Review Committee in March 2010. In addition, a high-level memorandum of understanding governing the handling of National Security matters by the Chief Constable and his reporting of such matters to the Policing Board was circulated to the Policing Board.
	I have no plans to publish further memoranda of understanding; the memoranda already in circulation, together with the assurances provided in Annex E of the St Andrews Agreement, the statement in January 2007 by the then Prime Minister and the regular reports I receive from Lord Carlile, strike the right balance between being open, transparent and accountable while protecting national security interests and assets.

Regulations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulation was made.

Owen Paterson: None.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Courts: Interpreters

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what estimate the Crown Prosecution Service has made of the extra costs it has incurred arising from the recent shortage of court interpreters.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has no central records on the number or cost of court delays or adjournments which are caused by the late attendance or non-attendance of interpreters. In order to provide an estimate of additional costs incurred because of a shortage of interpreters, if any, extensive inquiries would need to be made in relation to each court list since the new interpreter contract was implemented on 1 February 2012 and this would incur disproportionate cost.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many regulations the Law Officers' Departments repealed between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and what savings have been made in each such case;
	(2)  how many regulations the Law Officers' Departments introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Dominic Grieve: None.

Serious Fraud Office: Manpower

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff the Serious Fraud Office employed in each of the last five years.

Dominic Grieve: The following table provides details for the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff at the Serious Fraud Office on 31 March for each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Number of staff (FTE) 
			 2010-11 (31 March 2011) 305 
			 2009-10 (31 March 2010) 307 
			 2008-09 (31 March 2009) 304 
			 2007-08 (31 March 2008) 307 
			 2006-07 (31 March 2007) 314

WALES

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many regulations her Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse each such regulation was made.

David Jones: The Wales Office did not introduce any regulations between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012.

SCOTLAND

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulation was made.

David Mundell: Each year, the Scotland Office takes forward a programme of orders under the Scotland Act 1998. Generally, Scotland Act orders make changes to the law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland or the reserved law of the UK which are outwith the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and many of these changes are consequential to provisions made in Acts of the Scottish Parliament. Between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012 the following orders were brought forward:
	The Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2011 (S.I 2011/1740);
	Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2011 (S.I 2011/2298);
	Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Modifications of Enactments) Order 2011 (S.I 2011/2581);
	Prostitution (Public Places)(Scotland) Act 2007 (Disqualification from Driving) Order 2011 (S.I 2011/2490); and
	Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements)(Specification) Order 2011 (S.I 2011/2439).
	There were no implementation costs for these orders.

TREASURY

BBC: Pay

David Mowat: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral answer of 2 February 2012, Official Report, column 1008, on tax avoidance, whether the BBC falls within the scope of the review on the structuring of employee remuneration.

Danny Alexander: I have announced a review of public sector appointments to examine the extent to which use if made of arrangements whereby the tax position of appointees can be perceived to minimised, including where they are paid through a personal service company, and to make appropriate recommendations.
	The review will cover all bodies covered by HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money, including all central Government bodies, such as Departments and their arm’s length bodies. It will not cover arrangements in public corporations, public broadcasting authorities or the publicly owned banks.
	The BBC is therefore not covered by the review. However, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has written to the Chair of the BBC Trust on 7 March 2012.

Child Tax Credit: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families who will be affected by changes to child tax credits from April 2012 in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency.

David Gauke: The requested information is not available.
	The measures that the MP refers to in his question are part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review. All of the tax credits measures interact with each other and isolating the impact of any of these measures will not be representative of the overall change in a family's tax credit award.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the packages of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexa.pdf
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf

Infrastructure: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the operation of the National Infrastructure Plan and its potential benefits for Wales.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	This includes the National Infrastructure Plan which sets out a clear strategy for infrastructure investment, both public and private, across the UK. In Wales this includes the electrification of the Great Western line to Cardiff, super-connected city funding to Cardiff, investment to improve broadband and mobile coverage in rural areas and private sector investment in wind energy.

Overseas Trade: Libya

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what directives his Department issued on UK companies trading with Libya in each of the last two years; how companies were notified of such directives; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Since the adoption of financial sanctions against Libya under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) on 26 February 2011, HM Treasury has published 17 releases referring to UN, EU or UK sanctions measures in relation to Libya.
	During 2011 the Security Council adopted three resolutions about Libya, there were three UK Regulations, and 15 separate EU legal measures.
	All of the resolutions, EU and UK legal measures, and Treasury releases are available on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/fin_sanctions_libya.htm
	HM Treasury provides a free subscription services to interested parties, which issues e-mails to subscribers drawing attention to all sanctions releases. Details of how to subscribe are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/fin_sanctions_subscribe.htm

Personal Income

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in the levels of wealth inequality between 1997 and the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The Gini coefficient (a measure of wealth inequality) for 1997 to 2005 is available from the archived Personal Wealth National Statistics table 13.5 published on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal_wealth/13-5-table-2005.pdf
	Following a review of the methodology a Gini coefficient is no longer published in the HMRC Personal Wealth Statistics but information on the distribution of identified wealth (i.e. wealth owned by estates represented by those passing through probate) for 2001 to 2003 and 2005 to 2007 is published on the HMRC website in National Statistics table 13.8 available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal_wealth/table13-8.pdf
	There is also information on the distribution of wealth for 2006 to 2008 published in Chapter 2 of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Wealth in Great Britain report. This is available from the ONS website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/was/wealth-in-great-britain/main-results-from-the-wealth-and-assets-survey-2006-2008/index.html
	This report is based on a different definition of wealth and on household distribution rather than individuals, and so the Gini and other measures of wealth inequality in this report are not comparable with the HMRC publication.

Private Finance Initiative

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which PFI projects have been given final approval by the Treasury since May 2010; and what the value of all such projects was.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury publishes information on PFI projects on its website. This information was last updated on 30 November 2011 using data submitted by Government Departments to HM Treasury. This information can be accessed from the Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_pfi_stats.htm
	Between 1 May 2010 and 30 November 2011, 41 PFI projects with a capital value of £3.2 billion have reached financial close.
	The Treasury will shortly be collecting the next update to the PFI data to the end of this financial year. It is expected that this information will be published online during May.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Chloe Smith: 23 statutory instruments made by HM Treasury came into force between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012. The Department does not keep a record of the cost of making these statutory instruments.
	Since the ‘One In, One Out’ system has been in operation the net cost of HM Treasury regulation on business has been -£26.46 million per annum.
	Statements of HM Treasury's regulatory and deregulatory measures are published every six months on our website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_new_regulations.htm

Taxation: Bingo

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the bingo industry on the relationship between bingo gross profits tax and total tax revenue from the gaming sector.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with, and receive representations from, a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Taxation: Bingo

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the rate of gross profit tax levied on (a) bingo clubs and (b) bookmakers; and for what reasons there is a difference between the two rates.

Chloe Smith: The rates of general betting duty and bingo duty were set by the previous Government. Bingo duty is charged at 20% of gross profits and general betting duty is charged at 15% of gross profits. The March 2011 Budget left rates unchanged. All taxes, including gambling taxes, are kept under review.

Taxation: Bingo

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an assessment of how changes to the taxation of gaming machines in bingo halls will affect the overall tax burden on such halls.

Chloe Smith: The latest assessment of the impact of machine games duty (MGD) on individuals and businesses is available in the Tax Information and Impacts Note published on 6 December together with draft legislation for machine games duty.
	This publication can be found here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/machine_games_duty.pdf
	The detailed tax impact on, and within, specific gambling sectors will be estimated after MGD rates are set at Budget.

VAT: Air Ambulance Services

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential merits and feasibility of (a) reducing the rate of VAT charged on air ambulance fuel and (b) returning VAT collected in respect of fuel used by air ambulances back to air ambulance services.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given on 16 June 2011, Official Repor t, House of Lords, column WA202, and further add that under EU VAT law it is not possible to have a reduced rate on air ambulance fuel.
	There are no plans to return VAT collected in respect of fuel. The Government provide support for charities primarily through over £3 billion a year in tax reliefs, of which Gift Aid makes up around £1 billion.

VAT: Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of VAT will be charged on energy efficiency measures under the Green Deal.

David Gauke: The reduced rate of VAT applies to the installation of certain types of energy saving materials and grant funded energy saving products, meeting the conditions in groups 2 and 3 of schedule 7A of the VAT Act 1994. Other energy efficiency products are liable to VAT at the standard rate.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question 96242, tabled on 20 February 2012 for answer on 22 February 2012.

Chloe Smith: I replied to the hon. Member on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 173W.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy Saving Trust: Consultants

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the Energy Saving Trust has spent on public affairs consultancy in the last 36 months; which firms received payment; and for what reason such payments were made.

Gregory Barker: The Energy Saving Trust (EST) has not spent any of its DECC grant funding on public affairs consultancy during the last 36 months. EST is a private company organised as a social enterprise with charitable status.
	Support for public affairs consultancies from sources other than grant funding is a matter for its board but I understand from EST that it has held small contracts with Positif Politics Ltd, Strategem and Weber Shandwick Public Affairs for corporate activities.

Fossil Fuels: Exploration

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what responsibility his Department has for the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques in Wales.

Charles Hendry: All onshore oil and gas projects in the UK, including shale exploration and production, require planning permission and are subject to strict environmental controls, including scrutiny by the relevant environmental agency (for England and Wales, the Environment Agency), and to safety regulation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In respect of England, Wales and Scotland they also require specific consents from DECC before any well can be drilled or production can commence. DECC works together closely with these other regulators and we will not consider issuing drilling consent until the Environment Agency and the HSE have confirmed that they have been notified of the proposed activities, including hydraulic fracturing where that is proposed, and have no objections to them going ahead.

Green Deal Scheme

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that the proposed Green Deal advice line and website for consumers offer details of all authorised assessors, and not solely major providers.

Gregory Barker: The mechanisms for referring Green Deal advice services customers on to authorised assessors are still being developed. However, where referrals are made to assessors, my Department will ensure that it is done in an equitable manner which is inclusive of independent assessors and those working for small and medium sized businesses.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether a household taking out a Green Deal package would be able to switch to an energy supplier not part of the Green Deal central charge mechanism.

Gregory Barker: A household with a live Green Deal plan being repaid through their electricity bill would be able to switch freely between all larger electricity suppliers (more than 250,000 customers) and those smaller electricity suppliers (less than 250,000 customers) that had chosen to accede to the Green Deal Arrangements Agreement. Switching between gas suppliers would be unaffected.

Local Energy Assessment Fund

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 554W, on Local Energy Assessment Fund, what the budget for the fund is in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what proportion of that budget has been spent.

Gregory Barker: The budget for the Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) is £10 million. Of this, £9.2 million was awarded, in two phases, to the 237 projects judged to have met all the criteria of the competition including value for money. So far, £2.3 million has been paid out by the Energy Saving Trust, which administers the fund.

Local Energy Assessment Fund

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 554W, on Local Energy Assessment Fund, if he will publish (a) the criteria by which applications were judged and (b) for what reasons the unsuccessful bids were considered not to have met those criteria.

Gregory Barker: In order to receive a part of the £10 million Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF), an application had to meet the eligibility criteria set out in the guidance which can be found at:
	http://www.greencommunitiescc.org.uk/DECCDocuments/LEAFGuidance.pdf
	Applications also had to demonstrate value for money.
	The LEAF criteria were agreed in partnership with the LEAF Project Board, which consisted of members of the community energy sector, the wider community sector, the Energy Saving Trust and the Department for Energy and Climate Change. Each LEAF application was assessed by two independent assessors, from a group of community energy experts recommended by the Leaf Project Board, in a process overseen by the full board. The average score was used to rank applications.
	Any application with a significant variance between the two initial assessors underwent assessment by a third assessor.
	Feedback from Phase 1 applications has been published at:
	http://www.greencommunitiescc.org.uk/DECCNews.aspx

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State has made the following regulations which came into force during the period referred to in the question:
	
		
			 Statutory instrument SI no. Entry into force 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Nitrous Oxide) Regulations 2011 2011/1506 16 June 2011 
			 Warm Home Discount (Reconciliation) Regs 2011 2011/ 1414 1 July 2011 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Termination of Licences) Regulations 2011 2011 /1483 11 July 11 
			 The Disclosure of State Pension Credit Information (Warm Home Discount) Regs 2011 2011/1830 20 July 2011 
			 Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment No. 2) Order 2011 2011/ 1655 1 August 2011 
			 Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Amendment Regulations 2011 2011/2043 11 August 2011/1 October 2011 
			 The Renewable Heat Incentive (Amendment to the Energy Act 2008) Regulations 2011 2011/2195 6 September 2011 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Access to Infrastructure) Regulations 2011 2011/2305 16 September 2011 
			 Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment No. 3) Order 2011 2011/ 2364 18 October 2011 
			 Electricity and Gas (Internal Markets) Regulations 2011 2011/2704 9 November 2011 
			 The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Amendment of the Energy Act 2008 etc.) Regulations 2011 2011/2453 16 November 2011 
			 The Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations 2011 2011/2860 28 November 2011 
			 The Gas Transporter (Modification of Licence Conditions) Regulations 2011 2011/2803 16 December 2011 
			 The Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions and Community Energy Saving) (Amendment) Order 2011 2011/3062 22 December 2011 
			 The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Registries and Fees etc.) Regulations 2011 2011/2911 1 January 2012

Renewable Energy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he intends to take to (a) promote stability and (b) encourage investor confidence in renewable energy projects.

Gregory Barker: In order to meet our 2020 renewable energy target, we will need to boost deployment across the UK. The Renewable Energy Roadmap (published July 2011) sets out a UK-wide targeted plan of actions for eight key technologies in order to meet our ambitions for renewable energy.
	The current financial mechanisms to incentivise renewable electricity are the renewables obligation (RO) and the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. We are currently undertaking reviews of the RO banding and the FIT scheme to bring greater stability and certainty to the market. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was launched in November 2011 to support renewable heat.
	The Electricity Market Reform (EMR) White Paper sets out a new support scheme for all low carbon electricity. This includes robust transitional arrangements so as to maintain stable conditions for renewables investments.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of the level of subsidy that would be paid to current online nuclear power stations under the feed-in tariff proposals outlined in the Government's electricity market reform White Paper.

Gregory Barker: The proposed feed-in tariffs with contracts for difference as set out in the Government's Electricity Market Reform White Paper will not be made available to existing nuclear power stations.
	The contracts for difference create a level playing field for investment across new low carbon technologies and as such do not represent a subsidy for nuclear.

Renewable Energy: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of generation capacity from renewable sources in Scotland in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015; and what assessment he has made of the value of the Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) estimated to be allocated to Scotland in each of these years both as (i) an overall figure and (ii) a percentage of the total UK ROCs allocation.

Gregory Barker: Projections of renewable electricity generating capacity over this period have been made at the UK level and are detailed in the impact assessment and Pöyry consultants report accompanying the renewables obligation banding review consultation, both available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cons_ro_review/cons_ro_review.aspx
	Specific assessments of projected total renewable electricity generating capacity in the devolved Administrations, including Scotland, and of ROCs produced in Scotland, are not available.

Renewables Obligation

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the willingness of investors to invest in the green economy following changes to the banding of renewables obligations.

Gregory Barker: Many estimates of the level of investment in the green economy are made by independent experts and DECC keeps track of these. A recent example is Ernst and Young's February 2012 renewable energy attractiveness index which ranked the UK fifth in the world, up one place from their previous assessment in November 2011. This assessment followed the publication of the RO banding review consultation in October. We are currently considering the evidence received from this consultation and aim to publish a government response in the spring.
	Since April 2011, the UK has seen announcements of £3.8 billion of investment in renewables.

JUSTICE

Crime

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for offences relating to (a) financial, (b) physical and (c) sexual abuse, where the offender was not a family member but working in a voluntary capacity with the victim there were between 2005 and 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Other than where specified in the statute this information does not include all the circumstances of each case.
	It is therefore not possible from these centrally held data to separately identify those cases where the offender was working in a voluntary capacity with the victim from other cases.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in May 2012.

Families

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much funding his Department has allocated to the troubled families initiative in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15;
	(2)  how many civil servants in his Department are working on the troubled families initiative;
	(3)  how much funding (a) HM Court and Tribunal Service, (b) HM Prison Service and (c) other agencies under his Departmental remit will contribute to the troubled families initiative from pre-allocated resources in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15 financial years;
	(4)  whether funding of the troubled families initiative has had implications for the funding of other programmes operated by his Department; what such programmes are; and what funding has been so diverted in each case.

Jonathan Djanogly: In the financial years (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is contributing £0 million/£8 million/£8 million/£9 million to the Troubled Families initiative.
	As of 7 February 2012, there were 1.0 FTE staff based at MOJ working on the troubled families initiative as part of their duties. Additionally, the Youth Justice Board has 1.25 FTE staff working on the initiative.
	The Troubled Families programme is one of a number of new programmes the Department is funding over the spending review period. The Department keeps its spending, delivery and savings plans under constant review against emerging priorities. The Department is in the process of finalising its budget for next year, which includes its contribution towards the funding of the Troubled Families programme. The Department will not be cancelling or cutting the budgets of specific projects or programmes to fund the Troubled Families programme in 2012-13. How the programme will be funded in future years will be considered alongside other departmental pressures and priorities.

Fraud: EU Law

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the UK has enacted the provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2000/383/JHA of 6 December 2001; and what assessment he has made of its effectiveness in combating fraud against the euro.

Kenneth Clarke: The provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2001/383/JHA of 6 December on combating fraud against the euro have been implemented in UK law.
	The Government have not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the Framework Decision.

Organised Crime: Witnesses

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been (a) charged and (b) convicted in cases where evidence given by assisting offenders as defined in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 was used in each year since 2007.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify from centrally held information those specific cases where evidence has been given by assisting offenders.

Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were returned to prison for the full remainder of their prison sentence for breaching their licence conditions in each of the last three years following (a) one breach, (b) two breaches, (c) three breaches and (d) four or more breaches.

Crispin Blunt: The Public Protection Unit Database in the National Offender Management System has not been designed in a way that would make data on the number of breaches per offender and time spent in custody following recall readily accessible and retrievable. Instead, a manual trawl of prisoner files would be required to answer the question. There are around 15,000 recalls per year. Consequently, a trawl of the files would exceed cost limits.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department proposes to spend on capital investment in the prison estate for each year of the current spending review period.

Crispin Blunt: For each year of the current spending review period the Ministry of Justice plans to spend the following amounts on capital investment in the prison estate:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 176 
			 2012-13 130 
			 2013-14 130 
			 2014-15 147

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulation was made.

Jonathan Djanogly: Between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012, the Ministry of Justice has laid no statutory instruments which have regulatory impact.

Reoffenders

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the reconviction rate after 12 months was for offenders aged between 18 and 24 years on completion of (a) prison and (b) community sentences in each year since 2008;
	(2)  what the reconviction rate after six months was for prisoners aged between 18 and 24 years on the completion of (a) prison and (b) community sentences in each year since 2008.

Crispin Blunt: The hon. Member’s questions have been answered using the Ministry of Justice's published proven re-offending statistics for England and Wales, broken down further by the age of the offender. These statistics are published on a quarterly basis and the latest bulletin, which was published on 26 January 2012, provides proven re-offending rates for offenders who were released from custody, received a caution, reprimand, warning, or tested positive for opiates or cocaine between April 2009 and March 2010.
	Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow up. Following this one year period, a further six months is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
	Table 1 shows the number of offenders aged between 18 and 24 years who were released from prison in 2008 and 2009 and the proportion who reoffended within a one year follow-up period.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			  Number of offenders Proportion of offenders who re offend (percentage) 
			 2008 21,027 55.1 
			 2009 20,550 52.8 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of offenders aged between 18 and 24 years who received a community sentence in 2008 and 2009 and the proportion who reoffended within a one year follow-up period.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			  Number of offenders Proportion of offenders who re offend (percentage) 
			 2008 51.657 41.4 
			 2009 52,599 40.0 
		
	
	2009 is the latest full calendar year for which data are available.
	Proven reoffending rates for offenders are not available for follow up periods of less than one year. However, the Ministry of Justice plans to publish proven reoffending rates using two and five year follow up periods in the next edition of the Compendium of Reoffending Statistics and Analysis, which will be published in July 2012.
	Please note that re-offending statistics are available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending

Youth Custody: Islington

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from the London Borough of Islington have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The table shows the number of juvenile offenders (aged 10 to 17) either sentenced or remanded in custody attached to the Islington Youth Offending Team who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) under 18 young offender institution by month from May 2005 to December 2011. This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, may be shown in more than one month in the table.
	Data from April 2011 onwards is provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
	This data has been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB does not hold data at local authority level. However, it does hold data down to Youth Offending Team area, some of which cover more than one local authority area.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Table 1: Young people in custody attached to Islington Youth Offending Team by establishment type, May 2005 to December 2011 
			  Secure children ’ s homes Secure training centres Under 18 young offender institutions 
			 May 2005 1 1 10 
			 June 2005 1 1 9 
			 July 2005 2 2 12 
			 August 2005 1 1 15 
			 September 2005 1 0 16 
			 October 2005 1 1 15 
			 November 2005 0 1 16 
			 December 2005 0 1 17 
			 January 2006 0 1 16 
			 February 2006 1 2 16 
			 March 2006 1 2 16 
			 April 2006 1 0 15 
			 May 2006 1 0 14 
			 June 2006 1 0 12 
			 July 2006 2 1 10 
			 August 2006 1 0 10 
			 September 2006 0 1 9 
			 October 2006 0 1 13 
			 November 2006 0 0 17 
			 December 2006 0 0 16 
			 January 2007 1 3 20 
			 February 2007 1 2 20 
			 March 2007 2 2 17 
			 April 2007 2 1 15 
			 May 2007 1 0 10 
			 June 2007 1 1 15 
			 July 2007 1 3 19 
			 August 2007 2 4 18 
			 September 2007 3 3 18 
			 October 2007 3 5 13 
			 November 2007 2 5 15 
			 December 2007 1 4 18 
			 January 2008 2 4 19 
			 February 2008 0 4 20 
			 March 2008 0 4 19 
			 April 2008 0 3 17 
		
	
	
		
			 May 2008 0 3 16 
			 June 2008 0 4 20 
			 July 2008 1 3 21 
			 August 2008 0 4 20 
			 September 2008 0 4 17 
			 October 2008 0 6 25 
			 November 2008 2 2 21 
			 December 2008 3 3 17 
			 January 2009 2 1 22 
			 February 2009 2 1 24 
			 March 2009 1 3 19 
			 April 2009 0 3 21 
			 May 2009 0 2 25 
			 June 2009 0 2 25 
			 July 2009 0 0 18 
			 August 2009 0 1 17 
			 September 2009 0 1 16 
			 October 2009 0 3 16 
			 November 2009 0 2 19 
			 December 2009 0 3 19 
			 January 2010 0 3 17 
			 February 2010 0 2 11 
			 March 2010 0 2 13 
			 April 2010 0 4 12 
			 May 2010 0 4 11 
			 June 2010 0 4 13 
			 July 2010 1 2 16 
			 August 2010 0 3 15 
			 September 2010 1 1 16 
			 October 2010 1 3 14 
			 November 2010 1 1 17 
			 December 2010 1 3 15 
			 January 2011 1 3 16 
			 February 2011 1 3 15 
			 March 2011 1 3 16 
			 April 2011 1 3 17 
			 May 2011 1 3 21 
			 June 2011 1 2 20 
			 July 2011 0 4 11 
			 August 2011 0 5 16 
			 September 2011 0 4 14 
			 October 2011 0 4 14 
			 November 2011 0 3 16 
			 December 2011 0 3 15 
			 Notes: 1. This table is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, may be shown in more than one month in the table. 2. Data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013. 3. The YJB does not hold data at local authority level. However, it does hold data down to Youth Offending Team area, some of which cover more than one local authority area. 4. These figures come from the YJB's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS) database. 5. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) financial and (b) non-financial support her Department provides to dependants of asylum seekers.

Damian Green: Financial support is available to destitute asylum seekers and their dependants in order to meet their essential living needs. The following table sets out the weekly rates available to the categories of dependants that may be supported.
	
		
			 Levels of cash support from 18 April 2011 
			  £ 
			 Single person  
			 Aged 18 or over (excluding lone parent) 36.62 
			 Aged 25 years or over (excluding lone parent), where the decision to provide cash support was made before 5 October 2009 and the person reached age 25 prior to that date 42.62 
		
	
	
		
			 Qualifying couples  
			 Both 18 years or over 72.52 
			   
			 Lone parent age 18 or over  
			 Age 18 or over 43.94 
			   
			 Personal allowance for dependent children  
			 Person aged under 16 52.96 
			 Person aged 16 but under 18 (except where the person is a member of a qualifying couple) 39.80 
		
	
	In addition, asylum seekers who have young children aged between one and three years old are eligible to receive an extra £3 per week per child. Children aged under one attract an extra £5 per week per child. Asylum seekers can also apply for a one-off maternity payment of £300 to help with the costs arising from the birth of a child.
	Accommodation is provided to destitute asylum seekers and their dependants if they need it. The contractual arrangements with accommodation suppliers and voluntary sector partners also provide for information briefings on the rights and responsibilities of the asylum seekers while they are in the United Kingdom and practical advice on how they can access health care and legal assistance to pursue their asylum claims.

Crime: USA

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the arrangements are for authorising US police investigations in the UK; and on how many occasions such procedures have been used in the last eight years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 29 March 2012
	The information is not held centrally. Individual UK law enforcement agencies and police forces are responsible for authorising foreign police investigations in the UK.

Departmental ICT

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision she has made to ensure that the contracts awarded to Fincore Ltd under the Development Collaborative Business Project portal for the Animals in Science Regulation Unit include appropriate penalties for technical or financial failure.

Damian Green: There is no specific contract for the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Collaborative Business Portal Project as there is a general contract that covers the whole Collaborative Business Portal service. This contract states the service levels that must be maintained and details service credits that will be applicable should the supplier fail to meet these service levels.

Deportation

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are subject to deportation or removal proceedings in each local immigration team area.

Damian Green: holding answer 27 February 2012
	Local immigration team data are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.

Domestic Violence: Human Trafficking

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to identify and support victims of trafficking for domestic servitude following changes to the domestic worker visa.

Damian Green: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for the identification and support of victims of trafficking was introduced on 1 April 2009. Persons, including overseas domestic workers, who believe they are a victim or potential victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation, labour exploitation or domestic servitude may seek, and will continue to be able to seek in future, referral to the NRM.

Entry Clearances: Domestic Service

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects on her policies of the recent recommendation by the Office of the Special Representative on Trafficking on a visa regime for private household domestic workers that allows migrant domestic workers to change employer; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government have taken into account all recommendations and comments made by those who responded to the consultation that included proposals on the overseas domestic worker routes of entry. The Government believe that the best way to address abuse of overseas domestic workers in the UK is to restrict access for such workers. That is why the Government raised the possibility of closing the route entirely. As a result of representations made, the Government have decided to retain a visa for overseas domestic workers but to restrict it to those who are coming to this country for short periods only, accompanying visitors. This in itself will reduce scope for abuse and leave other protections available.

Entry Clearances: Domestic Service

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects on her policies of the recommendation of the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery on immigration rules on visas linked to sponsorship by a single employer.

Damian Green: The Government have taken into account all recommendations and comments made by those who responded to the consultation that included proposals on the overseas domestic worker routes of entry. The Government believe that the best way to address abuse of overseas domestic workers in the UK is to restrict access for such workers. That is why the Government have decided, as a result of representations made, to retain a visa for overseas domestic workers but to restrict to those who are coming to this country for a short period only, accompanying visitors. This will reduce scope for abuse and leave the protections available.

G4S

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will publish the findings of the due diligence process carried out in relation to G4S and the COMPASS contract;
	(2)  what consideration she gave to complaints and allegations of mistreatment made against G4S as provider of asylum seeker removal services when deciding that G4S was fit and proper to provide accommodation and transport for asylum seekers.

Damian Green: The findings of the due diligence process will not be published due to commercial sensitivity in line with usual practice. The due diligence process was undertaken in line with Government procurement regulations. The due diligence process assessed the bidders' ability to deliver the specified service for which they tendered.
	The requirements for these services are different to those for escorted removal services. The COMPASS procurement considered the capability of all bidders, including G4S, to deliver the services required. The evaluation process to assess G4S and other bidders was supported by a team of operational, financial and commercial experts who were aware of the statutory obligations of the Home Office and the complexities of providing these services. This process has confirmed that G4S is a fit and proper organisation to provide the services and to recognise the needs of the asylum applicants that they will be accommodating and transporting.

Gurkhas

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2011, Official Report, columns 403-04W, on Gurkhas, how many (a) former Gurkhas and (b) dependants of former Gurkhas in the age groups (i) 30 to 39, (ii) 40 to 49, (iii) 50 to 59, (iv) 60 to 69, (v) 70 to 79 and (vi) 80 to 89 years have been allowed to enter and reside in the UK since May 2009.

Damian Green: holding answer 10 January 2012
	The following table details the number of visas issued to former Gurkhas from May 2009 to November 2011. December data are not yet available. The figures are based on the number of settlement visas issued to Nepalese nationals.
	
		
			 Age range Visas issued 
			 30-39 4 
			 40-49 749 
			 50-59 658 
			 60-69 1,395 
			 70-79 471 
			 80-89 58 
		
	
	The following table details visas issued to Gurkha dependants from May 2009 to November 2011. December data are not yet available. The figures are based on the number of dependant settlement visas issued to Nepalese nationals.
	
		
			 Age range Visas issued 
			 30-39 683 
			 40-49 1,128 
			 50-59 960 
			 60-69 784 
			 70-79 130 
			 80-89 5 
		
	
	These data are based on management information. They are provisional and subject to change. Home Office statistics are published quarterly. The data provided are up to the end of September 2011, in line with the period covered by the Home Office published statistics.

Immigrants: EU Countries

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to protect UK borders from increased economic migration from Eurozone countries;
	(2)  if she will take steps to protect UK borders from mass immigration from the Eurozone in the event of the value of the euro (a) contracting and (b) collapsing;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the risk to national security of mass migration following the contraction or collapse of the euro; and if she will publish any such assessment;
	(4)  if she will put in place legal contingency measures to suspend European Council Directive 2004/38/EC should the Eurozone (a) contract and (b) collapse.

Damian Green: The Government are undertaking extensive contingency planning to deal with all potential Eurozone issues.

Manufacturing Industries: Prosecutions

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will set up a public inquiry into recent allegations that (a) the police and (b) the security services supplied information to the Consulting Association leading to the blacklisting of up to 3,200 building workers;
	(2)  if she will refer to the Director of Public Prosecutions for investigation and possible prosecution the 44 construction firms listed on the Consulting Association database as having used the services of that organisation to blacklist up to 3,200 building workers.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 12 March 2012
	Blacklisting is prohibited under the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010. Breach of these can open the way to substantial damages being awarded by a court or employment tribunal.
	Any complaint relating to allegations that the police acted unlawfully in this regard should be made to the police force concerned or to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Any similar complaint relating to the security services should be made to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to police authorities entering into new contracts before the elections of police commissioners in November.

Nick Herbert: The Government expect police authorities to continue to implement their plans for reducing costs and delivering transformation—including where this includes entering into new contracts—up until police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections in November 2012. The Government have written to police authorities indicating that while there are no plans for an official period of purdah in advance of the PCC elections, there may need to be some arrangements made in relation to financial contracts in the weeks immediately preceding the PCC elections. We will work closely with police authorities to ensure that they receive clear information about how financial contracts should be dealt with during this time.

Police: G4S

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to (a) maintain standards of duty and (b) provide public accountability in relation to duties formerly undertaken by police officers (i) when police jobs have been outsourced to G4S by Lincolnshire Police Authority and (ii) when they have been outsourced to other private companies; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Currently chief officers are accountable to police authorities for the delivery of all policing services, including services delivered by contractors. From November 2012 chief officers will be accountable to police and crime commissioners, who in turn will be accountable to the public, for such services.

Regulations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regulations her Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Damian Green: The following table sets out the regulations which the Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012 and the cost to the public purse of making each set of regulations.
	The variations in the costs of different regulations arise because some regulations were published with an Explanatory Memorandum (which added to the cost) and others were subject to the draft affirmative procedure, which means they were published twice.
	
		
			 Regulations made between one June 2011 and 31 January 2012 
			 Title No. Date made Cost to the public purse of making the regulation (£) 
			 The Gender Recognition Register (Amendment) Regulations 2011 1607 29 June 2011 160 
			 The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Specification for Imitation Firearms) Regulations 2011 1754 18 July 2011 316 
			 The Immigration (Provision of Physical Data) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 1779 18 July 2011 632 
			 The Sexual Offences Act 2003 (Prescribed Police Stations) Regulations 2011 1788 18 July 2011 316 
			 The Riot (Damages) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2002 11 August 2011 160 
			 The Riot (Damages) (Amendment No.2) Regulations 2011 2009 11 August 2011 160 
			 The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Licences) Regulations 2007 (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2156 1 September 2011 316 
			 The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2175 1 September 2011 316 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2199 5 September 2011 476 
			 The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 2260 9 September 2011 632 
			 The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records and Registration (Isle of Man) Regulations 2011 2296 15 September 2011 160 
			 The Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2661 3 November 2011 316 
			 The Immigration (Procedure for Marriage) Regulations 2011 2678 7 November 2011 316 
			 The Immigration (Procedure for Formation of Civil Partnerships) Regulations 2011 2679 7 November 2011 ' 316 
			 The Immigration (Certificate of Entitlement to Right of Abode in the United Kingdom) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2682 7 November 2011 316 
			 The Crime and Disorder (Formulation and Implementation of Strategy) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2702 6 November 2011 316 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2816 23 November 2011 316 
			 The Private Security Industry Act 2001 Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 2011 2917 4 December 2011 316 
			 The Police (Amendment) Regulations 2011 3026 15 December 2011 316 
			 The Police (Performance and Conduct) (Amendment: Metropolitan Police) Regulations 2011 3027 15 December 2011 316 
			 The Police (Complaints and Misconduct) (Amendment: Metropolitan Police) Regulations 2011 3028 15 December 2011 316 
			 The Local Policing Bodies (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2011 3058 20 December 2011 316 
			 The Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2011 3063 20 December 2011 316 
			 The Local Policing Bodies (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2012 61 10 January 2012 632 
			 The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2012 62 10 January 2012 632 
			 The Private Security Industry Act 2001 (Exemption) (Olympics Security) Regulations 2012 145 19 January 2012 316 
			 The Police (Amendment) Regulations 2012 192 26 January 2012 316

Sexual Offences: Foreign Travel Orders

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she plans to publish her response to the consultation on the proposals to strengthen the notification requirements for registered sex offenders, including introducing a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify all foreign travel;
	(2)  when her Department plans to introduce a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of all foreign travel.

Lynne Featherstone: Our response to the consultation on reforming the notification requirements of registered sex offenders (part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) was published on 5 March and is now available on the Home Office website.
	On 5 March the Home Office brought forward new measures in The Sexual Offences Act 2003 (Notification Requirements) (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 which will extend and strengthen the system of notification requirements placed on registered sex offenders (commonly referred to as the sex offenders' register).
	These new measures will make it compulsory for all offenders subject to the notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to:
	notify the police of all foreign travel (including travel outside of the UK of less than three days);
	notify weekly where they are not registered as regularly residing or staying at one place (i.e. where a registered sex offender has no sole or main residence and instead must notify the police of the place where he can regularly be found);
	notify where they are living in a household with a child under the age of 18;
	notify bank account and credit card details and notify information about their passports or other identity documents at each notification, tightening the rules so that sex offenders can no longer seek to avoid being on the register when they change their name.
	We expect that the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (Notification Requirements) (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 to come into force from summer 2012, subject to other parliamentary business.

HEALTH

Continuing Care

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) continuing care assessments and (b) core assessments by social services in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: We have made no assessment of the cost to local authorities of continuing health care, and core assessments by social services.

Drugs: Olympic Games 2012

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers the Government has to ensure that there is a 24-hour supply of medicines during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Simon Burns: The Department will continue to work collaboratively with supply chain stakeholders to ensure that patients can obtain medicines quickly and conveniently during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Drugs: Shortages

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission an independent study of the extent of any shortages of medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 122W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Oliver Colvile).

Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of food procured by his Department (a) meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering and (b) is from British sources.

Simon Burns: The Department's current catering contract is with Quadrant who are working with the Department to meet the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering. Data provided by Quadrant show that:
	100% of the food provided meets United Kingdom or equivalent standards of production;
	100% of the eggs provided are sourced from enriched cages;
	fish is not sourced from the Marine Stewardship Council “fish to avoid” list; and
	salt has been removed from tables to encourage customers to taste food before seasoning.
	The proportion of food procured for the Department's catering contract (covering Richmond, Skipton and Wellington houses in London) that is produced in the UK totals 38%. However, it should be noted that there are considerable volumes of non-indigenous products purchased including: tea, coffee, rice, pasta, citrus fruits and exotic fruits.
	Additionally:
	100% of fresh beef supplied is British;
	100% of fresh pork joints supplied are British;
	100% of fresh milk supplied is British;
	100% of shell eggs supplied are UK sourced and Lion marked; and
	all fresh potatoes and root vegetables are sourced from the UK when in season.

Meningitis

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to publish a meningitis strategy for England.

Anne Milton: We will continue our vaccination programme that protects people from a number of causes of meningitis. Furthermore, earlier this month (i.e. March 2012) the Health Protection Agency published “Guidance for public health management of meningococcal disease in the UK” which updates guidance previously issued in 2006. The document provides comprehensive advice on the best practice for dealing with all aspects of the prevention and treatment of meningococcal disease, including meningitis.
	The document can be viewed at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947389261
	However, there are no plans to publish a meningitis strategy for England.

NHS Confederation: Older People

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the conclusions and recommendations of the joint report by the NHS Confederation, Age UK and the Local Government Association on improving dignity in the care of older people; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department welcomes the publication of the Commission's draft report, which aims to help drive improvements in the quality of care provided to older people in hospitals and care homes. We look forward to the publication of the Commission's final report.
	The Government are determined to root out poor quality care in the national health service and through a range of actions. The NHS Operating Framework for 2012-13 establishes the issue of high quality, dignified and compassionate care as one of four key priorities for the NHS.
	In addition, on 6 January, we announced a series of measures to improve the quality of nursing care and free up nurses to provide the care patients and relatives expect. The measures include setting up a new independent Nursing and Care Quality Forum, tasked with ensuring that the best nursing practice is spread throughout the NHS and social care.

NHS: Reorganisation

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to engage with stakeholders in developing and implementing the transition programme in the NHS; what representations he has received on the programme; and from whom.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, Ministers and officials meet regularly with stakeholders to discuss the Department's work. We carried out a number of consultations connected with NHS reform including on the White Paper, Liberating the NHS, and associated proposals, and throughout the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill. The NHS Future Forum led a period of intensive stakeholder engagement on the reforms in 2011 and reported their findings to the Government.

NHS: Reorganisation

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to maintain and improve the quality of NHS care during the period of transition in the NHS.

Simon Burns: The NHS Operating Framework 2012-13 sets out the national priorities for the national health service and includes a set of national performance measures that are monitored centrally.
	All NHS organisations during 2012-13 must maintain or improve the quality of services provided, while delivering transformational change and maintaining financial stability.
	Additionally, the National Quality Board produced a report in March 2011: “Maintaining and improving quality during the transition: safety, effectiveness, experience”. This report provided advice on practical steps for maintaining quality, including setting out a clear process for delivering a robust handover for quality between current and new NHS bodies. The report is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_125234

NHS: Reorganisation

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  by what means his Department will co-ordinate the change programme in the NHS; and what steps he is taking to safeguard public funds during the programme;
	(2)  what the principal mechanisms are for (a) controlling costs and (b) identifying future efficiencies in the NHS Transition Programme.

Simon Burns: The programme is being co-ordinated by an Integrated Programme Office (IPO), established within the Department. The IPO oversees the running of a series of programme boards. These include the permanent secretary, the NHS chief executive and senior departmental and national health service directors, and are the means by which issues are discussed, decisions reached and recommendations made when required.
	Measures being put in place to safeguard public funds during transition include the establishment of a transition costs group (TCG), which is considering funding for transition during 2012-13. The TCG sets allocations against which senior responsible officers for workstreams charged with delivering aspects, of the transition will be held accountable. The Department is also monitoring transition expenditure.
	Future efficiencies to be derived from the programme of healthcare modernisation have already been identified as amounting to savings of £4.5 billion by 2014-15, and annual savings thereafter of £1.5 billion. These will contribute towards overall annual efficiency improvements in the NHS of up to £20 billion by 2014-15, and will be realised by maintaining financial balance in the system by way of reduced financial envelopes for the organisations concerned.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Simon Burns: The Department introduced 37 regulations between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012. A list of the titles of these regulations has been placed in the Library.
	Information on the likely costs to the public purse resulting from all regulations introduced is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department.
	The following regulations have supporting impact assessments:
	The Plastic Kitchenware (Conditions on Imports from China)(England) Regulations 2011:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1517/memorandum/contents
	The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) (Amendment) Regulations 2011:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1567/memorandum/contents
	The Medicines Act 1968 (Pharmacy) Order 2011:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2011/9780111513347/contents
	The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2011:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2011/9780111515822
	The Health And Social Care Act 2008 (Primary Dental Services, Private Ambulance Services And Primary Medical Services) (Regulated Activities) (Transitory And Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Order 2011:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2948/memorandum/contents
	The Health Service Branded Medicines (Control of Prices and Supply of Information) Amendment Regulations 2011:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2955/contents/made

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that waiting times to see an ophthalmologist are reduced in Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

Simon Burns: Waiting times to see an ophthalmologist at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust are the responsibility of the local national health service. The Department is aware that Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust has not been achieving the required standard in this area, and the trust has put in place plans to make improvements.
	The Department collects and publishes monthly referral to treatment (RTT) data, which is used to monitor national health service waiting times. Latest England figures for December 2011 show RTT and diagnostic test waiting times are low and stable and the vast majority of patients started treatment within 18 weeks.
	At a national level, in the ophthalmology treatment function, 93.2% of admitted patients started treatment within 18 weeks and 96.9% of non-admitted patients started treatment within 18 weeks.

Speech Therapy

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) speech and language therapists and (b) organisations representing speech and language therapists on the Health and Social Care Bill.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), met with speech and language therapists on 18 October 2011 as part of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' ‘Giving Voice’ campaign. Ministers and officials meet regularly with groups representing speech and language therapists to discuss how these services can play a full, contribution in improving patient care, experience and outcomes more widely. Discussions have included the Health and Social Care Bill.

CABINET OFFICE

Government Departments: Procurement

Karl McCartney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many fully compliant bids his Department received for each lot in response to the recent Government Procurement Service tender on multi-functional devices and services, managed print services and print audit services.

Francis Maude: The number of fully compliant bids, by Lot, received by Government Procurement Service in respect of the procurement for multi-functional devices and services, managed print services and print audit services are as follows:
	
		
			  Bids 
			 Lot 1 8 
			 Lot 2 10 
			 Lot 3 11 
			 Lot 4 14 
			 Note: Some suppliers submitted bids for multiple bids.

Government Departments: Secondment

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2012, Official Report, column 613W, how many staff are currently supplied to Government departments without normal payment by KPMG, Ernst and Young and PWC, following the Cabinet Office's renegotiation of contracts with those firms in 2010 and 2011; in which Department they are serving; and what their function, grade and level of security clearance is in each case.

Francis Maude: Information on staff supplied to Departments across Whitehall is not held by the Cabinet Office.

Mortality Rates

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many deaths there were with a date of death between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2008 for which the time between date of death and date of death-registration exceeded 365 days, broken down by the cause of death with respect to (a) ICD-10 chapter and (b) short-listed ICD 10-code grouping, as defined by the Office for National Statistics;
	(2)  how many deaths there were with a date of death between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2008 for which the time between date of death and date of death-registration exceeded 730 days, broken down by underlying cause of death with respect to (a) ICD-10 chapter and (b) short-listed ICD 10-code grouping, as defined by the Office for National Statistics;
	(3)  how many deaths were registered in England and Wales with date of death between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2008, for which the time between the date of death and the date of death-registration was longer than (a) 91 days, (b) 183 days, (c) 365 days and (d) 730 days.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions.
	Tables 1 and 2 provide the number of deaths by ICD-10 Chapter where the time between date of death and date of death registration was greater than 365 days and 730 days, respectively, for England and Wales for deaths occurring between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2008.
	Table 3 provides the number of deaths where the time between date of death and date of death registration was longer than (a) 91 days, (b) 183 days, (c) 365 days and (d) 730 days in England and Wales for deaths occurring between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2008.
	Figures for the number of deaths where the delay between death and registration exceeded 365 days or 730 days, broken down by short-listed ICD-10 grouping are not currently available and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. ONS will publish these figures alongside the annual Death Registrations publication in the Autumn.
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status and place of death are published annually and are available here:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths for which the time between registration and date of death is greater than 365 days, by ICD-10 chapter, underlying cause of death, England and Wales , 2005- 08 (1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Deaths 
			 Chapter I Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 118 
			 Chapter II Neoplasms 819 
			 Chapter III Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism 20 
			 Chapter IV Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 134 
			 Chapter V Mental and behavioural disorders 372 
			 Chapter VI Diseases of the nervous system 212 
			 Chapter VIII Diseases of the ear and mastoid process 2 
			 Chapter IX Diseases of the circulatory system 991 
			 Chapter X Diseases of the respiratory system 405 
			 Chapter XI Diseases of the digestive system 475 
			 Chapter XII Diseases of the skin and subcutanaeous tissue 35 
			 Chapter XIII Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 162 
			 Chapter XIV Diseases of the genitourinary system 82 
			 Chapter XV Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium 31 
			 Chapter XVI Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period 13 
			 Chapter XVII Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities 66 
			 Chapter XVIII Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 422 
			 Chapter XX External causes of morbidity and mortality 6,188 
			 None Neonatal deaths 158 
			 Total  10,705 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths occurring between 2005 and 2008 and include deaths of non-residents. (2) No underlying cause of death can be determined from the death certificate used to register neonatal deaths (deaths under 28 days). (3) Deaths can only be registered once an inquest has taken place. If the inquest is adjourned the death may be registered and a temporary code for underlying cause of death may be given. Deaths given temporary codes are included in Chapter XX. (4) The date of death is not available for 54 deaths. These have been excluded from this table. Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2. Number of deaths for which the time between registration and date of death is greater than 730 days, by ICD-10 chapter, underlying cause of death, England and Wales, 20 05- 08 (1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Deaths 
			 Chapter I Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 38 
			 Chapter II Neoplasms 117 
			 Chapter III Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism 4 
			 Chapter IV Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 38 
			 Chapter V Mental and behavioural disorders 62 
			 Chapter VI Diseases of the nervous system 48 
			 Chapter VIII Diseases of the ear and mastoid process 1 
			 Chapter IX Diseases of the circulatory system 183 
			 Chapter X Diseases of the respiratory system 67 
			 Chapter XI Diseases of the digestive system 82 
			 Chapter XII Diseases of the skin and subcutanaeous tissue 8 
			 Chapter XIII Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 23 
			 Chapter XIV Diseases of the genitourinary system 13 
			 Chapter XV Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium 8 
			 Chapter XVI Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period 3 
			 Chapter XVII Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities 9 
			 Chapter XVIII Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 69 
			 Chapter XX External causes of morbidity and mortality 1,159 
		
	
	
		
			 None Neonatal deaths 40 
			 Total  1,972 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths occurring between 2005 and 2008 and include deaths of non-residents. (2) No underlying cause of death can be determined from the death certificate used to register neonatal deaths (deaths under 28 days). (3) Deaths can only be registered once an inquest has taken place. If the inquest is adjourned the death may be registered and a temporary code for underlying cause of death may be given. Deaths given temporary codes are included in Chapter XX. (4) The date of death is not available for 54 deaths. These have been excluded from this table. Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3. Number of deaths for which the time between registration and date of death is greater than (a) 91 days, (b) 183 days, (c) 365 days and (d) 730 days, England and Wales, 2005-08 (1, 2) 
			 Waiting time Deaths 
			 Over 91 days 83,354 
			 Over 183 days 41,600 
			 Over 365 days 10,705 
			 Over 730 days 1,972 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths occurring between 2005 and 2008 and include deaths of non-residents. (2) The date of death is not available for 54 deaths. These have been excluded from this table. Source: Office for National Statistics

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Francis Maude: One regulation was introduced by the Cabinet Office between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012, which was at no cost to the public purse.

Unemployment: Disability

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people with a registered disability were unemployed in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people with a registered disability were unemployed in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last five years. (100193)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, due to small sample sizes estimates of unemployment for the St Helens South and Whiston constituency are unavailable.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not compile estimates of the number of persons registered as disabled who were unemployed. As an alternative we have provided estimates of the number of persons who had a limiting health problem lasting more than 12 months who were unemployed.
	Table 1 shows the number of people identifying themselves as disabled who were unemployed in the North West and England, for the 12 month periods ending in June from 2007 to 2009 from the APS, along with the latest estimate for the 12 months ending June 2010.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of disabled (1)  people in unemployment 
			 Thousand 
			  North West England 
			 12 month ending June   
			 2007 39 268 
			 2008 41 287 
			 2009 45 337 
			 2010 51 384 
			 2011 **55 *423 
			 (1 )People who are DDA disabled or have a work limiting disability. Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey.

DEFENCE

Libya: Immigration

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to respond to the letter of 26 October 2011 from Tineke Strik, the Rapporteur investigating the loss of lives of migrants from Libya in the Mediterranean Sea in March and April 2011.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 20 February 2012
	The letter from Ms Strik on behalf of the Council of Europe's Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population was received in the Secretary of State’s office on 15 February. We are currently looking into the issues raised and will respond shortly.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from other nations have been trained at the Defence Helicopter Flying School in each of the last five years; what aircraft they were trained to fly; and from which country they came.

Nick Harvey: A total of 22 students from other nations have been trained at the Defence Helicopter Flying School over the last five years. The following table details the country from which the student originated, type of aircraft used and the number of students per year.
	
		
			  Country Aircraft type Number of students 
			 2011 Netherlands Griffin HT1 2 
			  Australia Eurocopter AS350 1 
			     
			 2010 Netherlands Griffin HT1 2 
			  Portugal Eurocopter AS350 1 
			     
			 2009 Qatar Eurocopter AS 3 50 3 
			  Algeria Eurocopter AS350 2 
			  Kuwait Eurocopter AS350 1 
			     
			 2008 Qatar Eurocopter AS350 2 
			  Denmark Griffin HT1 2 
			     
			 2007 Qatar Eurocopter AS 3 50 4 
			  Ghana Eurocopter AS350 1 
			  Australia Eurocopter AS350 1

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Andrew Robathan: Between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012, the Ministry of Defence introduced eight new items of secondary legislation, namely:
	The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/1364)
	The Armed Forces (Terms of Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/1523)
	The Clyde Dockyard Port of Gareloch and Loch Long Order 2011 (SI 2011/1680)
	The Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/1848)
	The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Armed Forces) (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/2282)
	The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/2552)
	The Armed Forces Redundancy Scheme 2006, the Armed Forces Redundancy Etc. Schemes 2010 and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/3013)
	The Northwood Headquarters Byelaws 2011 (SI 2011/3102).
	These new instruments have come as the result of the regular updating and consolidation of departmental secondary legislation and have been prepared within existing departmental resources.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Environment Protection

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration she plans to give to environmental concerns as part of the consultation on a sustainable framework for UK aviation.

Theresa Villiers: The Government want to see a successful aviation sector which will support economic growth and address its environmental impacts. It is clear that a better balance than in the past needs to be struck between the benefits aviation undoubtedly brings and its impacts, particularly at a local level. We plan to publish a draft aviation policy framework for consultation shortly.

Aviation: Working Hours

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on proposals made by the European Aviation Safety Agency concerning flight time limitations for the flight crew of commercial aircraft.

Theresa Villiers: The European Aviation Safety Agency is currently consulting on draft implementing rules establishing flight time limitations for the crew of commercial aircraft. The Civil Aviation Authority will be responding to the consultation. We will consider our position once a final set of rules has been proposed.

Civil Aviation Authority

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Civil Aviation Authority has (a) issued warnings to and (b) made findings against (i) pilots and (ii) flight crew in respect of breaches of the annual limit for duty hours for commercial aviation in the last year for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: In 2011 the Civil Aviation Authority did not issue any warnings or make any findings in respect of flight crew exceeding the annual limit on duty hours.

Driving Tests: Motorcycles

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress she has made on implementing the third European driving licence directive motorcycle test; how each major feature of the test will improve safety; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Implementation of the third European driving licence directive will not affect the form or content of the motorcycling test. It contains new provisions which will affect how motorcyclists progress to ride larger and more powerful machines. The most significant changes are:
	a new medium-sized motorcycling licence category (A2) to be introduced for riders aged 19 or over.
	a new common category (AM) across Europe for mopeds, which will replace the current domestic category P licence. The practical test for mopeds will also remain unchanged.
	an increase in the minimum age for motorcyclists gaining direct access to the most powerful motorbikes from 21 years to 24 years.
	new arrangements for younger motorcyclists wishing to progress in stages to ride larger and more powerful machines (currently, unlimited access to all motorcycles is gained automatically after two years' experience on less powerful machines).
	We anticipate that the implementing legislation will shortly be laid before Parliament. We are on track to meet our obligations for full implementation by January 2013.

Lorries: EU Law

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department has taken to ensure that foreign-registered haulage vehicles on British roads comply with the requirements of EU legislation.

Michael Penning: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency carries out checks at the roadside of foreign-registered haulage vehicles and takes action when they are found to be non-compliant with drivers' hours and tachograph, international operator licensing and vehicle roadworthiness requirements. They also check for overloading. VOSA has a number of powers that it can use as part of that enforcement—including the power to prohibit vehicles from continuing their journeys until defects of drivers' hours offences are rectified, taking a deposit from drivers (in effect an on the spot fine), prosecution and, in limited cases, directing a vehicle out of the country. For serious offences these are reported to the home member state, so that action can be taken on the operator's licence.

Lorries: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department has taken to assist the British haulage industry since 2010.

Michael Penning: We have taken many concrete steps since 2010 to assist the British haulage industry and wider logistics sector. The details, which I set out in my speech to the Listening to Industry event in January, are on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/news/speeches/penning-20110201/

Metals: Theft

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the value of metal stolen from railways in Kent in each of the last five years; and what costs were incurred by (i) Network Rail and (ii) South Eastern as a consequence of the theft of metal from railways in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: Complete records of costs to Network Rail due to metal theft in Kent are available for the last three years and are as follows: £82,849 in 2009-10, £417,950 in 2010-11, £686,529 in 2011-12 (up till 4 February 2012). This cost includes schedule eight compensation payments to train operating companies. The Department does not have information on the value of the stolen metal itself or on the costs incurred by individual train operating companies.

Public Transport: Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department has taken to improve passenger safety on public transport since 2010.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport is committed to improving the personal security of passengers on public transport, working closely with the police and transport operators to manage security risks to the transport networks.
	Much of the work to ensure that passengers can travel safely is undertaken by the transport industry, local authorities, the police and others, who are investing in a wide range of initiatives to keep our public transport system as a low crime environment. Initiatives include the Secure Stations scheme, which has seen over 1,250 train stations accredited, investment in a bus fleet that now has 69% of vehicles equipped with CCTV and Network Rail's safety campaign, which educates young people about the dangers of misusing the railway.
	I also instigated a Public Transport Crime Liaison Group, a unique forum that provides an opportunity to work with transport operators and others to address passenger safety and crime across the public transport network. The most recent meeting took place last month.

Railways: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to receive a report from Ministers in the Welsh Government on the business case for electrification of (a) the Valleys Lines railways and (b) the rail lines between Cardiff and Swansea.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport is in discussion with the Welsh Government regarding the business case for electrification of routes in South Wales.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulations her Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulation was made.

Norman Baker: The number of statutory instruments (regulations and orders) made between the 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012 by the Department for Transport was 1,259. Of the 1,259 instruments, 1,196 were temporary in application and restricted to specific geographical areas.
	The vast majority of statutory instruments imposed temporary restrictions on the use of roads so road works could take place; the remainder imposed flying restrictions in respect of specific events, for instance to restrict the use of aircraft over London during Remembrance Day events.
	Government policy does not require an impact assessment to be prepared for an instrument where the cost to the public purse is less than £5 million per year, unless there are also costs or savings to businesses or civil society organisations.
	Information about costs to the public purse where there is no impact assessment, or there is but it does not quantify any costs to the public purse, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because of the level of analysis that would be required to answer the question.
	Impact assessments which identify estimated net costs to the Department's agencies were prepared for the following instruments:
	1. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2516)—cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of £1.6 million over 10 years;
	2. The Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2601)—cost to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of £2.34 million over 10 years;
	3. The Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements)(Amendment) Regulations 2011(S.I. 2011/2616)—cost to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of £0.79 million over 10 years.
	In respect of the two merchant shipping regulations, costs to ports have not been included as the impact assessments do not distinguish between those costs to ports that fall on the public purse and those that do not.
	Information about the cost to the public purse of 1,196 local, temporary instruments could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Roads: Accidents

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many roads were closed due to road traffic accidents in each local authority area in the north-west in each of the last three years; and for how long roads were closed in each case.

Michael Penning: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

Roads: Accidents

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of road accidents resulting in a (a) serious injury and (b) fatality involved people driving for business purposes in each of the last four quarters.

Michael Penning: The proportion of personal injury road accidents, where the journey purpose was known and recorded as “part of work” which resulted in (a) serious injury and (b) fatality, for each quarter of 2010 in Great Britain is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Proportion of accidents (percentage) 
			  Q1 2010 Q2 2010 Q3 2010 Q4 2010 Total 
			 (a) Serious injury 25 22 23 25 24 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Fatality 34 27 27 32 30

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where the additional carriages for the First TransPennine Express and London Midland franchises, as announced by her Department on 29 February 2012, will be built; and how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time jobs will be created in the UK from building those carriages.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 13 March 2012
	The Department understands that the additional carriages will be built in Germany. The Department has no information about how many jobs may be created in the UK from building these carriages. The answer to this should be sought from Siemens or London Midland who led the competitive procurement process that resulted in this order. However, bringing these carriages into service is expected to create over 200 additional jobs in the UK.

Swindon-Kemble Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for completion of the redoubling of the line between Kemble and Swindon; what estimate she has made of the cost of the work; and what assessment she has made of the likely effect it will have on connections between Wales and London terminals.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail are redoubling the line for completion in 2014 within a budget of £45 million. Redoubling will remove a potential bottleneck on the growing railway between Wales and London. It will provide an alternative route via Gloucester for services during electrification works, due to be completed on the main line between London and Cardiff by 2017.

Thames Estuary Airport

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential environmental effects of a new airport in the Thames Estuary.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has not made any recent assessment of a new airport in the Thames Estuary.

Thames Estuary Airport

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials of her Department have met individuals or organisations in support of proposals for an airport in the Thames Estuary.

Theresa Villiers: There have been no meetings between the Department's Ministers and individuals or organisations in support of proposals for an airport in the Thames Estuary. Department officials have had one meeting with an organisation promoting a particular proposal for a Thames Estuary airport.
	The Department's Ministers and officials, do of course, regularly meet with the Mayor of London and his representatives on a range of transport issues and the Mayor's views on this matter have been well publicised.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Action for Employment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts with his Department and its agencies A4e (a) is bidding for and (b) has been awarded but have not yet commenced either independently or in partnership with other companies.

Bob Neill: holding answer 1 March 2012
	A4e is not bidding for nor has been awarded any contracts currently by my Department and its agencies.

Council Tax Benefits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much in cash terms will be lost in each (a) local authority in England and (b) region as a result of the 10%. reduction in the amount available for council tax benefit.

Bob Neill: The cash reduction for each authority will depend on the precise methodology for distributing grant. The Government have indicated that they intend to base grant distribution on shares of previous expenditure, and will be consulting on the methodology for grant distribution before the summer.
	The cash reduction will also depend on the final amount for council tax support in England. Funding for the first two years of localised schemes will be derived from the Office of Budget Responsibility forecast for spending on council tax benefit, which reflects existing spending and therefore assumptions about underlying demographic changes.

Departmental Ethnic Minority Staff

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of senior civil servants in his Department were from an ethnic minority in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The number and proportion of senior civil servants in the Department on the relevant dates is as follows.
	
		
			  Number of senior civil servants BME proportion of those declared (%) Declaration rate (%) 
			 March 2010 133 7.8 77.4 
			 March 2011 122 7.7 85.2 
			 February 2012 90 8.0 83.3

Families

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated to the troubled families initiative in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

Bob Neill: Central Government will be providing £448 million of funding over the next three years to the Troubled Families programme. In the financial years (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15, the Department of Communities and Local Government is contributing £0 million/£50 million/£50 million/£50 million to the programme.

Families

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civil servants in his Department are working on the troubled families initiative.

Bob Neill: As of 7 February 2012, there were 20.6 full-time equivalent staff based at the Department for Communities and Local Government working on the Troubled Families programme. The team is comprised of DCLG staff and those seconded from other relevant Government Departments, many of whom have previous experience in the voluntary and community sector and local government.

Families

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding local authorities will contribute from pre-allocated resources from his Department towards the troubled families initiative in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

Bob Neill: Information on estimated expenditure by local authorities from 2011-12 to 2014-15 in respect of this work is not available. The £448 million funding for the Troubled Families programme will be made available to all local areas (at upper-tier local authority level) from 2012-13, primarily on a payment-by-results basis, distributed as a 40%) contribution to the costs of actions needed. The remaining 60% will need to be found locally, from the local authority and partners (including, for example, police, health and Jobcentre Plus).

Fire Services

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the representations made by the Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Authorities on grant funding in the remainder of the spending review period.

Bob Neill: I met with a metropolitan fire and rescue authority cross-party MP delegation on 31 January and participated in the Westminster Hall debate on 7 March. My officials will continue to work with metropolitan fire and rescue authorities and I will consider the representations they and other fire and rescue authorities make when making decisions for funding in years 2013-15.

Homelessness: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless people there were in Pendle constituency in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level. Data collected include all decisions made on applications by eligible applicants, and the number of applicants accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). These households are known as ‘accepted' households. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Although figures at parliamentary constituency level are not held centrally for most constituencies, the boundary of the Pendle constituency is coterminous with that of the area covered by Pendle borough council, for which figures are held centrally. A table summarising homelessness figures for the past five years, for Pendle borough council, including (a) the total number of households accepted as owed the main homelessness duty, and (b) the total number, of households in temporary accommodation are provided as follows.
	
		
			  Number of households accepted (1)  as owed a main homelessness duty during the year Number of households in temporary accommodation (2 ) at the end of the financial year (31 March) 
			 2006-07 25 6 
			 2007-08 31 3 
			 2008-09 18 7 
			 2009-10 21 0 
			 2010-11 34 0 
			 (1) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty. (2 )Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Source: DCLG P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) 
		
	
	Quarterly statistical releases on Statutory Homelessness are available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	I recently announced additional funding of £70 million this year to tackle and prevent rough sleeping and prevent repossessions. This comes on top of the existing £400 million homelessness grant this Government have protected over the next four years.

Incinerators: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will call in for consideration the planned incinerator for construction in Shrewsbury due to health concerns expressed by local Shrewsbury residents.

Bob Neill: On 10 January 2012 an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government allowed an appeal and granted planning permission for a proposed energy from waste facility at Battlefield Enterprise Park, Shrewsbury (application number SC/MS2009/0125/SY). It is not possible for the Secretary of State to exercise his powers of call-in under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 once planning permission has been granted.

Landlords: Registration

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to protect low-income families from rogue landlords.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 12 March 2012
	Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities have a range of strong powers and duties to tackle poor housing conditions, including inspecting all residential properties and requiring landlords to make improvements. Failure by the landlord to take action against a notice served on them can result in a fine or criminal conviction.
	The Government are working with councils across the country to understand any barriers they may face in tackling rogue landlords and is considering what, if any, steps may need to be taken to address any problems.

Liverpool Port: Finance

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 451W, on Liverpool Port: finance, what assessment his Department has made of the potential liabilities that would fall on (a) the Government and (b) Liverpool city council should the EU judge that Liverpool has acted improperly in beginning use of the cruise terminal without EU agreement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 12 March 2012
	The request from Liverpool city council for change of use of the cruise terminal is currently under consideration. Any change of use would be subject to State Aid clearance by the European Commission. This matter is now dependent on the outcome of the State Aid decision.

Local Government Services: Fees and Charges

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on charges levied by local authorities to individuals for services provided by the local authority.

Bob Neill: holding answer 12 March 2012
	DCLG collects information on revenue expenditure and financing from all local authorities in England. This includes income from sales, fees and charges which local authorities charges to individuals, companies or other local authorities for providing a service.

Non-domestic Rates

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses claimed (a) small business rate relief, (b) mandatory relief, (c) discretionary relief, (d) rural settlement relief and (e) hardship relief in (i) England, (ii) Cumbria and (iii) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: holding answer 13 March 2012
	Details of the number of businesses in receipt of (a) small business rate relief, (b) mandatory relief, (c) discretionary relief, and (d) rural rate relief in (i) England, (ii) Cumbria as at the 31 December in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, the only years for which data are available, are contained in the following tables. Due to changes in the level of reliefs, data between years are not strictly comparable.
	
		
			 England 
			 Thousand 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Small business rate relief n/a 406.0 437.0 460.0 
			      
			 Mandatory relief 275.2 236.6 319.5 311.7 
			 Of which:     
			 Rural village shop 6.6 6.3 6.1 5.5 
			      
			 Discretionary relief 48.8 49.9 49.7 48.9 
			 Of which:     
			 Rural village shop relief and other small rural business relief 4.7 4.7 4.5 4.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Cumbria 
			 Thousand 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Small business rate relief n/a 7.4 7.7 8.0 
			      
			 Mandatory relief 3.6 3.1 4.2 3.9 
			 Of which:     
			 Rural village shop 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			      
			 Discretionary relief 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.9 
			 Of which:     
			 Rural village shop relief and other small rural business relief 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
		
	
	Details of the number of businesses claiming hardship relief are not collected. Details of the number of businesses claiming small business rate relief in 2007 are not available. Data are not available at constituency level.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the consultation process for planning decisions, includes a sufficient time for local communities to present appeals.

Bob Neill: Local planning authorities are required to publicise all applications for planning permission in their area in accordance with Article 13 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(England) Order 2010. This gives local communities a chance to make representations on planning proposals within the statutory 21 day period of public consultation. It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to consider the views of all parties and act in the general public interest when determining planning applications.
	The Localism Act will strengthen the role of the local community in the planning system by introducing a system of neighbourhood planning, and compulsory community pre-application discussions for larger proposals. This will lead to more locally determined decisions, in line with local plans, thus reducing the need for appeal.

Social Rented Housing: Solar Power

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the merits of solar PV panels for social housing.

Andrew Stunell: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet and exchange correspondence with colleagues from the Department for Energy and Climate Change to discuss a range of matters.
	DECC intend that their feed-in tariffs policy for solar PV will encourage its deployment by organisations, businesses, communities and individuals that have not traditionally engaged in the electricity market. Officials from the two Departments are working together on the matter of access by social landlords to feed-in tariffs to support the deployment of solar photovoltaic panels in social housing.

Social Services: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether funding of the troubled families initiative has had implications for the funding of other programmes operated by his Department; what such programmes are; and what funding has been so diverted in each case.

Bob Neill: The Troubled Families programme is one of a number of new programmes the Department is funding over the spending review period. Funding for new programmes comes from a combination of departmental unallocated resources, as set out in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11. The Estimates Memorandum for each Department will be published by Parliament and the Estimates themselves will be published by Treasury in the early part of the new financial year 2012-13. These documents will carry the detail of all programme budget changes.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms there are for local people to oppose the construction of onshore wind turbines through the planning system.

Bob Neill: holding answer 12 March 2012
	There are a number of ways local people can make their concerns known about proposals for new development, including through making representations on local plans and on individual planning applications. Through the powers we have taken in the Localism Act 2011, local people will have significantly greater opportunities to shape their own neighbourhoods and engage with a more democratically accountable planning system.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Argentina

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  on what dates in the next 12 months he expects (a) submissions to be made on Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) projects in Argentina, (b) votes on projects involving Argentina to take place in the IADB and (c) meetings of the IADB Board to be held under both the simplified and non-simplified procedures on such projects;
	(2)  how many loans under both the simplified and non-simplified procedures have been submitted to the Inter-American Development Bank Board since September 2011 related to projects in Argentina; and on what dates those submissions were made.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development does not maintain an aid programme to Argentina and no UK aid is spent providing loans to Argentina at the World Bank or the Inter-American Development bank.
	Since September 2011 the Executive Board of the Inter-American Development Bank has received 11 submissions for loans to Argentina. Four were submitted under short procedure and four were submitted under the simplified procedure, neither of which requires a discussion. In addition, three operations were submitted for considerations which were discussed by the board.
	The dates of submission were as follows:
	
		
			 Project name Project Procedure Submission date 
			 Proposal for a loan for the “Provincial Agricultural Services Program—PROSAP III”. Second individual operation under the Conditional Credit Line for Investment Projects (CCLIP) “Provincial Agricultural Services Program—PROSAP” Consideration 30 August 2011 
			 Proposal for a technical-cooperation loan for the “National Microfinance System Strengthening and Consolidation Program in Argentina” Simplified procedure 30 August 2011 
			 Executive summary of the emergency loan proposal for the “Emergency Program in Response to the Puyehue Volcano Eruption” Information with expiration date 4 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the “Barrio Improvement Program” Short procedure 19 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the “Water and Sanitation Program for the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area and Conurbation” Short procedure 19 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the “Tourism Corridor Development Program” Simplified procedure 18 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the project “Strengthening of Policies on Childhood, Adolescence, and Family” Simplified procedure 18 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the project “Strengthening of the Ministry of Economy and Finance” Simplified procedure 25 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the project “Plaza Logistica” Consideration 26 October 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the “Program for Productive Road Infrastructure 11” Short procedure 17 November 2011 
			 Proposal for a loan for the “Norte Grande Road Infrastructure Program 11” Consideration 17 January 2012 
		
	
	The Government of Argentina has agreed an indicative programme for 2012 with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). This comprises 11 project submissions in the formal pipeline and four still under consideration for inclusion in the pipeline. Tentative dates of submissions are set out in the table. The first of these will be subject to the simplified procedure—a final decision on the handling of the others has yet to be taken. As a new Argentinean Government took office in December 2011, the pipeline may be subject to other changes.
	
		
			 Project name Tentative submission date 
			 Program for Productive Instit. Strength and Provincial Fiscal Manag. PROFIP II 24 April 2012 
			 Program for Rural Development and Family Agriculture, PRODAF 12 June 2012 
			 Technological Innovation Program III 5 July 2012 
			 Norte Grande Hidrico II 10 July 2012 
			 Technical assistance program of subnational tax administrations 17 July 2012 
			 Credit Program for Production Development in San Juan II 17 July 2012 
			 Energy Topics—Southern Wind Project 25 September 2012 
			 Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention and Handling Program 9 October 2012 
			 Sustainable Forest Development and Climate Change 16 October 2012 
			 Norte Grande Electricity Transmission Program II 30 October 2012 
			 SMEs Credit Access Program 13 November 2012 
			 Programa de Inversiones Municipales 27 November 2012 
		
	
	
		
			 Programa de Pre-inversión 27 November 2012 
			 Programa de Recuperación del Ferrocarril Belgrano Sur 27 November 2012 
			 Programa de Gestión de Residuos Solidos Urbanos en Municipios turfsticos 27 November 2012

Argentina

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK's representatives to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Inter-American Development Bank have been instructed to object to any loans to Argentina.

Alan Duncan: Britain has not instructed its representatives at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Inter-American Development to object to all loans to Argentina. Britain will continue to base its decisions on loans on economic grounds assessing each individual project on its own merits and the economic context of each individual loan.

Developing Countries: Private Sector

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what additional training he has provided to staff of his Department's private sector team.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the development of private sector skills in both its private sector department (PSD) and throughout the organisation. This is achieved through access to a range of courses and opportunities which help build the understanding, knowledge and the skills necessary to develop effective partnerships with business to drive wealth creation, multiply the reach of our aid, and to improve the delivery of basic services in developing countries.
	An example of this is the Institute of Directors' (IoD) Certificate in Company Direction programme, which provides formal training to establish best practice in corporate governance; corporate strategy; financial management; and effective leadership.
	PSD staff have also received training which includes presentations from a wide range of companies on how the private sector is pioneering new approaches to business in sub-Saharan Africa and other low income developing countries, creating economic opportunities for poor people as employees, suppliers, distributors and consumers.

Developing Countries: Private Sector

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many new staff his Department has employed to work on the private sector programmes which it funds, by Civil Service pay grade.

Stephen O'Brien: Between January 2011 and January 2012 the number of private sector development advisers in the Department for International Development increased from 30 to 50. The distribution by grade was as follows:
	
		
			 Grade January 2011 January 2012 
			 A1 10 12 
			 A2 18 34 
			 A2I 2 4 
		
	
	Between 31 January 2011 and 31 January 2012 staff employed in the private sector department increased from 18 to 32 as shown in the following table:
	
		
			 DFID grade Equivalent civil service grade Staff in post 31 January 2011 Staff in post 31 January 2012 
			 SCS SCS 1 1 
			 A1 Grade 6 5 4 
			 A2 Grade 7 6 14 
			 A2L SEO 3 4 
			 B1 (D) Faststream 0 2 
			 B1 HEO 1 3 
			 B2 EO 1 3 
			 C1 AO 1 1 
			 Total  18 32 
		
	
	Nine staff within the Department are also included in the list of private sector development advisers of which five were in post in January 2011. Staff working on private sector programmes, therefore, increased by 28 people between January 2011 and January 2012. This increase is essential to the delivery of the coalition Government's new strategy for private sector development as set out in ‘The Engine of Development: the private sector and prosperity for poor people’, published in 2011. It has also taken place in the context of overall administrative savings of 33%.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support the development of a new TB vaccine; and what funds his Department has allocated to support work on late stage clinical trials.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government are supporting the development of a new vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) through Aeras, a non-profit product development organisation. The Department for International Development (DFID) allocates funding for portfolios of potential vaccine candidates because candidates can fail at any stage of the development process. Aeras currently have six TB vaccine candidates in different stages of clinical development. DFID has allocated £10.5 million to Aeras for the period 2009-14 to support work on a mix of early and late stage clinical trials.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal on TB; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: Across the World Health Organization's six regions, the world is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of halting and reversing the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) by 2015. However, significant challenges remain, including drug resistant TB and TB-HIV co-infection.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse any such regulation was made.

Alan Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 21 June 2011, Official Report, column 199W.

Sahel

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he has committed to combating food insecurity in the Sahel; what proportion of such funding is being spent in (a) Niger, (b) Mauritania, (c) Mali, (d) Chad and (e) Senegal; and how much such funding is being delivered through the government of each country.

Stephen O'Brien: So far this year, the Department for International Development (DFID) has committed £10 million to help mitigate the food security crisis in the Sahel, in addition to the UK's share of assistance through the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. The first £5 million, committed in January, is treating 83,000 severely malnourished children in Niger, Chad and Mali, and providing emergency livelihood support to some 34,000 families to enable them to buy food for the coming months. The aid is being delivered through UNICEF, Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Oxfam. No funds will be channelled through the countries' governments. Allocations to specific countries within the three projects have not yet been finalised, but indicative allocations are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Niger 2,745,000 
			 Chad 953,000 
			 Mali 735,000 
			 Mauritania 315,000 
			 Burkina Faso 251,000 
		
	
	No funds are currently allocated for Senegal.
	Earlier this week, DFID committed a further £5 million to provide additional support for the crisis. This will provide support through Save the Children, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Food Programme (WFP), for 82,000 people across Mali and Niger with food, seeds, tools and livestock—including those who have fled their homes in conflict-affected areas; essential nutrition supplies, such as PlumpyNut, for 33,000 children and adults; and hygiene kits to help stop the spread of disease. Allocations to specific countries have not yet been finalised, As with the previous commitment, no funds will be channelled through the countries' governments.
	UK officials will continue to monitor the situation closely, and will liaise with other governments to ensure other countries take their fair share of the response. Helping drought-prone countries to become more resilient to future shocks is critical, and the UK is also playing a key role internationally in leading work to help prevent such disasters recurring.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials from his Department have visited St Helena in the last 12 months.

Alan Duncan: In the last 12 months, 13 officials from the Department for International Development have visited St. Helena.
	These include a high-level mission which concluded that significant progress had been made in achieving the reforms to encourage private sector investment and tourism required for approval of the airport. Following the signing of the airport contract, DFID officials visited St Helena to review progress on initial phases of the contract and to engage with the St Helena Government in public meetings around the island, highlighting opportunities in the construction phase and encouraging greater involvement in future development. Visits have also been made to review UK aid provided to St Helena, ensuring that it meets its objectives and achieves value for money; and to evaluate infrastructure, education and health provision.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Air Travel

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions he has taken flights to overseas countries on official business since August 2010; what class of travel was used on each such flight; and by whom he was accompanied.

David Lidington: As set out in the Ministerial Code, Departments publish, at least quarterly, details of all travel overseas by Ministers. Foreign and Commonwealth Office information can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/#Ministers
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) travels in business class on scheduled flights. The Foreign Secretary's delegation usually comprises a Private Secretary, Press Officer, Special Adviser, Office Manager, relevant policy official, and security personnel as appropriate.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Bahrain

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what non-governmental organisations in Bahrain his Department provided funds to in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and for what purposes such payments were made.

Alistair Burt: In 2011, our embassy in Bahrain has been working with the Be Free Centre on a project called ‘Me and the Other’.
	The Be Free Centre is a community-based organisation which works to achieve a safe childhood, conscious adolescence, cohesive family and a humanistic society.
	‘Me and the Other’ is a pilot project that adapts a comprehensive approach to promoting the values of tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation among school children. The project's activities include delivering a series of workshops and producing interactive educational materials for children aged nine to 11 and teenagers aged 14 to 16, as well as for teachers and parents.
	We have no record of providing funds to Bahraini non-governmental organisations in 2010.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations his Department repealed between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and what estimate he has made of the likely savings in each case.

David Lidington: holding answer 13 March 2012
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not been responsible for repealing any regulations between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012. It revoked the following Order in Council during this period:
	The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2004.
	The estimated potential annual saving resulting from the revocation is negligible. (The order applied EU restrictive measures to the Overseas Territories in respect of a single individual, Goran Hadžic).

Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of food procured by his Department (a) meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering and (b) is from British sources.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is fully committed to the Government Buying Standards (GBS) for Food and Catering Services and we are working with our catering contractor to meet these standards.
	(a) At our UK sites an increasing proportion of food procured meets the GBS standards. Data provided by our contractors show that:
	100% of the food meets UK or equivalent standards of production
	100% of the eggs are sourced from enriched cages
	Current menus are designed to reflect in season products
	No fish is sourced that appears on the Marine Stewardship Council ‘fish to avoid’ list
	88% of the tea and coffee is Fairly Traded.
	(b)All of the food is sourced from British distributors. In addition 57% of the indigenous food total is produced in Britain:
	100% of fresh beef is British
	100% of fresh pork joints are British
	100% of fresh milk is British
	100% of shell eggs are UK sourced and Lion marked from enriched cages
	All fresh potatoes and root vegetables are sourced from UK when in season.
	The data for 2010-11 relating to this request and other food related targets are published on the FCO website.
	This answer relates to the UK catering contract only. Other purchases are made by devolved budget holders and no central records are kept—details could be provided only at disproportionate cost. A response for the global network could also be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the covert shipment of arms and missiles by Iran to militant factions within Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.

Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 604W. We remain deeply concerned by Iranian support for militant groups in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, as well as for the Syrian regime, and the negative impact this has on regional stability.

Iran

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of Iran covertly supplying materials and advice to the regime of President Assad.

Alistair Burt: Iran's complicity in the Assad regime's brutal suppression of the Syrian people is well-documented. It includes provision of riot control equipment and technical advice from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on how to quash dissent, as well as support for the Syrian regime's intelligence gathering capabilities and help to monitor protestors' use of the internet and mobile phones. We have made it clear that such support is unacceptable and must stop. It is in stark contrast to the will of the Syrian people and a reminder of Iran's blatant hypocrisy in claiming to support freedom in the Arab world.

Middle East

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of (a) Qassam rockets, (b) Grad rockets and (c) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from Gaza in 2011; and what reports he has received of the number of persons (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) slightly injured.

Alistair Burt: The Israeli Defence Force report that there were a total of 758 rockets fired from Gaza to Israel in 2011.
	The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) produce a detailed monthly breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian conflict related casualties. The most recent figures, including for 2011, can be found on page eleven of the January
	2012 UN OCHA humanitarian monitor report:
	http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_ humanitarian_monitor_2012_02_16_english.pdf

Middle East

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the number of (a) Qassam rockets, (b) Grad rockets and (c) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from Gaza since 1 January 2012; and what reports he has received of the number of persons (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) slightly injured.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about continued indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel, as well as air-strikes and other attacks by the Israeli military on Gaza.
	The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) produce a detailed breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian conflict related casualties every month for the UN OCHA humanitarian' monitor report, these can be found at:
	http://www.ochaopt.org
	The UN report that there were two Israelis injured in January 2012; figures for February 2012 are not yet available. Reports indicate that during 9-12 March 2012, 30 air-strikes were undertaken by the Israeli Defence Force on Gaza; and 212 rockets and mortars were launched from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militant groups, with 95 landing in Israel. In the latest round of violence, at least 8 Israelis have been injured; 23 Palestinians have been killed, and several tens of Palestinians injured.

Middle East

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of rocket fire into Israel from Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about continued indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel, as well as air-strikes and other attacks by the Israeli military on Gaza.
	On 12 March 2012, following the Israeli air-strikes on Gaza and rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel, I released the following statement:
	“I am deeply concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel. I condemn any attacks targeting civilians. I urge all sides to exercise restraint, re-establish calm and avoid any further civilian casualties.”
	The incidents on 9-12 March 2012 represent a worrying escalation of violence. Reports indicate that 30 air-strikes were undertaken by the Israeli Defence Force; and 212 rockets and mortars were launched from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militant groups, with 95 landing in Israel.
	Our officials are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

Palestinians

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities on Palestinians under Israeli administrative detention, including those on hunger strike; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I raised Israel's extensive use of administrative detention most recently with the Israeli ambassador to London on 23 February and the Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister on 27 February.
	Our officials in Tel Aviv have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including in the context of the case of Mr Khader Adnan, who was on hunger strike. We continue to encourage the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, including in their own policies on detention and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office introduced no regulations between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012 but it introduced 24 Orders in Council and two Commencement Orders during this period. The estimated cost to the public purse was negligible. These orders are related to implementing the international obligations of the United Kingdom or the governance of the Overseas Territories.

Shaker Aamer

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, column 1196W, on Shaker Aamer, if the Prime Minister will raise the case of Shaker Aamer with President Obama during his visit this week.

William Hague: I have personally raised Shaker Aamer's case with Secretary Clinton on a number of previous occasions, and raised this with her again on behalf of the British Government during my visit to Washington this week. As I have said previously, we will continue to engage with the US on this issue until a solution is reached.

Syria

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the recent statements of the Secretary General of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross on violence in Homs, Syria that the use of explosive weapons such as multiple launch rockets and artillery in densely populated areas causes severe harm to civilians, if he will put forward a proposal at the UN Security Council debates on the protection of civilians that the international community should address this important humanitarian issue.

Alistair Burt: The UK has been clear on the need to end all violence including by the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in Homs. The Syrian regime has demonstrated that it is manifestly unwilling to meet its responsibility to protect its civilian population. The UK will continue to be at the forefront of activity in the UN to bring about an end to the violence in Syria.
	At the November 2011 Protection of Civilians debate, the UK Permanent Representative condemned the repression of demonstrators in Syria and emphasised the need for an end to violence by the Syrian Government. The UK will continue to raise their concerns about the violence in Syria during all relevant upcoming discussions and debates in the UN and other forums, including at the next debate on the ‘Situation in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities’, which the UK as Security Council President has scheduled for the 12 March, and at the next ‘Protection of Civilians’ debate in June 2012.

Syria

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received any further reports of intimidation carried out by staff of the Syrian Embassy in London; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Syrian ambassador was last summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over reports that Syrian embassy staff were harassing and intimidating Syrians living in Britain on 13 October. The Metropolitan Police have received no further reports of intimidation carried out by staff of the Syrian embassy in London.

Syria

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the responsibilities of the Lebanese government for the welfare and protection of Syrian refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Lebanese Government are providing refugees from Syria with access to basic services including food and health care, including medical treatment where necessary, through its High Relief Committee, working in conjunction with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
	UNHCR have registered at least 6,375 Syrians near the northern border of Lebanon and there are reports of a large number of unregistered refugees in both the north and east.
	We are urging the Lebanese Government to continue their work with international agencies to provide shelter and protection for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Most recently the British ambassador to Beirut discussed this issue with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati on 12 March.
	The UK is supporting the international effort, including through the provision of funding to UNHCR and the deployment of a humanitarian adviser from the Department for International Development to the region.

Uganda

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to assist efforts to capture Joseph Kony.

Henry Bellingham: The British Government support the recent efforts made by the African Union (AU) to coordinate regional military efforts against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and the appointment of an AU Special Envoy on the LRA. The EU, with British contributions and support, made a package available to the AU to help establish the Special Envoy's office.
	Britain is an active member of the International Working Group, and has the lead in the UN Security Council on LRA matters. We have used these positions to urge the UN missions in the region to coordinate better the international response to the LRA. This includes the production of a regional UN LRA strategy and the closer coordination of UN and AU efforts. This has promoted dialogue among Central African states and their international partners on the best way to tackle the LRA, protect populations affected by their actions and bring Kony to justice.
	We have made significant contributions to UN programmes to disarm and demobilise LRA combatants and reintegrate them into their home communities. These programmes have helped to remove a steady stream of LRA combatants from the conflict.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Apprentices

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many apprentices are employed in ministerial private offices in her Department.

Richard Benyon: There are no apprentices employed in DEFRA’s ministerial private offices.

Departmental Ethnic Minority Staff

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of senior civil servants in her Department were from an ethnic minority in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The numbers, and percentages, of senior civil servants from an ethnic minority group employed in core DEFRA in March 2010, 2011 and 2012, are as follows:
	
		
			  Employees Percentage 
			 March 2010 3 2.5 
			 March 2011 3 2.7 
			 February 2012(1) 1 1.1 
			 (1) Figures for March 2012 are unavailable. 
		
	
	Those who have not declared their ethnicity are excluded from the calculation.

Departmental Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public services her Department delivers online only.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA (including DEFRA Network bodies) provide the following services online only:
	Core DEFRA
	Soil Protection Review tool :
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/spr
	Nitrate Vulnerable Zone tool :
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/nvz-self-assessment
	Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Derogation application :
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/nvz-derogation
	Animal Feed Registration tool :
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/animal-feed-reg
	Catchment Sensitive Farming tool :
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/csf
	Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
	Access to specialist scientific databases :
	http://www.kew.org/science-research-data/databases-publications/index.htm
	Bookings for school visits :
	http://www.kew.org/learn/schools/school-visits/kew-gardens/book-visit/index.htm
	Marine Management Organisation
	Marine Licensing System :
	https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk
	CEFAS
	Wavenet (real-time wave data) :
	http://cefas.defra.gov.uk/our-science/observing-and-modellinq/monitoring-programmes/wavenet.aspx
	Shellfish harvesting classifications :
	http://cefas.defra.gov.uk/our-science/animal-health-and-food-safety/food-safety/classifying-shllfish-harvesting/monitoring-results-and-maps.aspx
	Veterinary Medicines Directorate
	Special Imports system for Research Import Certificates :
	http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/ric/default.aspx
	Environment Agency
	Carbon Reduction Commitment Interactive portal :
	https://crc.environment-agency.gov.uk/crcregistry/web/login?execution=e1s1
	Integrated Regulation: Registrations, exemptions and permitting applications tool :
	https://integrated-regulation.environment-agency.gov.uk/EAIntegratedRegulationInternet/?_flowld=carriersandbrokers-flow
	Hazardous Waste: Registrations, exemptions and permitting applications tool :
	https://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/apps/hazwaste/registrationwelcome.jsp?lang=_e
	Generic Operators Returns: submission service :
	https://gor.environment-agency.gov.uk/GORExt/login.htm
	Emissions Trading Scheme portal :
	https://euets.environment-agency.gov.uk/Authentication/Logon.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx
	National Packaging Waste Database :
	http://npwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/
	What's in your Backyard? (access to EA data via an interactive map service) :
	http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?ep=maptopics&lang=_e
	E-public registers :
	http://epr.environment-agency.gov.uk/ePRInternet/SearchRegisters.aspx

Departmental Responsibilities

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to improve (a) private sector and business and (b) third sector and non-governmental organisation expertise among officials in her Department.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA undertakes, or will be undertaking, activities to develop the expertise of staff in these areas. Particular examples are:
	In 2011 some of our senior officials and a Special Adviser took part in the 'Day in Business' initiative to give them a direct insight into what running a small business involves. In addition, we are running a series of events open to all staff in which external speakers share insights on how DEFRA might work with business to stimulate the green economy, and we also participate in the Whitehall in Industry Group (WIG).
	In 2012-13, DEFRA will be participating, for the third year running, in the National Council for Voluntary Organisation's work shadowing scheme. This scheme provides work-shadowing opportunities for matched pairs of civil servants and staff from civil society organisations. Last year 85 DEFRA employees took part—the most from any Government Department.
	We also have staff on secondment to organisations in both the private and third sectors.

Departmental Secondment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on (a) inward and (b) outward secondments to the (i) private sector and (ii) third sector and non-governmental organisations.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA's policy on secondments, for both private and third sector/non-governmental organisations, is as follows:
	(a) Inward secondments can be arranged when there is a business need and when the approver confirms the proposed arrangements meet the following objectives:
	To meet specific business requirements
	To enable development of specific skills and knowledge that will be of clear benefit to DEFRA.
	To build relationships with key stakeholders.
	(b) Outward secondments can be arranged when there is a business need and when the approver confirms the proposed arrangements meet the same objectives as inward secondments, with the following addition:
	The development of specific personal skills and competencies that would be of clear benefit to the official's individual capability on return.

Environment Protection: EU Law

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 508W, on environment protection: EU law, what the names of the (a) independent counsel and (b) representatives from each organisation are.

Richard Benyon: The members of the High Level Advisory Group for DEFRA’s habitats directive implementation review are not appointed, have no decision making powers and receive no remuneration. Representatives have attended meetings on a voluntary basis and provided input on the review on behalf of their organisations. I am therefore informing them of my hon. Friend’s request before putting their details in the public domain.
	I will write to my hon. Friend once I have received their acknowledgement.

Farmers: Income

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of farmers earning less than the minimum wage.

James Paice: Data from the Farm Business Survey indicates that approximately 23,000 farmers in England (of a total of 75,000 covered by the survey) made returns from the operation of their farm business equivalent to less than the adult national minimum wage in 2010-11.

Food: Waste

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the preparatory work on food waste collection undertaken by her Department for the review of waste policy in 2011.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA, together with other Government Departments and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) carried out extensive preparatory work for the June 2011 waste review. These various analyses are neither contained in a single document nor suitable for placement in the Library. There are, however, various publications funded by DEFRA in the public domain on food waste collection. These pieces of research were taken into account in preparing the 2011 waste review. Much of this research is available via DEFRA and WRAP's websites.

Forests

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent changes to replanting programmes she has made in response to existing and potential forest pests and diseases.

Richard Benyon: The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan sets out an integrated approach to dealing with the increasing biosecurity threats to Britain's trees and forests.
	The Forestry Commission suspended planting Corsican pine on the public forest estate in 2007 due to dothistroma (red band) needle blight and has, since then, also suspended the planting of lodgepole pine. The planting of larch has been suspended in areas vulnerable to infection by Phytophthora ramorum.
	In order to help minimise the impact of any future pest or disease outbreaks, the Forestry Commission is working to increase species and structural diversity across the public forest estate.

Horses: Transport

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will take steps to renegotiate the conditions of the Tripartite Agreement covering the movement of equines between France, the Republic of Ireland and the UK to ensure that the (a) exemptions in the agreement primarily apply to the movement of thoroughbred animals and those actively involved in international competition and (b) movement of low-value animals into the UK from mainland Europe is subject to the provision of animal health certification;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the risk of animal diseases spreading through the movement of low-value animals that are moved without animal health certification and do not appear on TRACES under the terms of the Tripartite Agreement covering the movement of equines between France, the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

James Paice: We are currently undertaking a review of the Tripartite Agreement and this will specifically address the need for an increased level of protection from diseases like Equine Infectious Anaemia. I expect to receive recommendations from officials shortly about the possible need to re-negotiate the Tripartite Agreement.
	DEFRA has produced a qualitative risk assessment which considers the likelihood of disease affecting equidae entering the UK through the Tripartite Agreement. This identified the risk of importing disease as 'low'. However, we are currently updating the risk assessment as part of the review.
	DEFRA takes the health status of equidae in the UK very seriously and seek the renegotiation of the Tripartite Agreement if it is considered appropriate to do so.

Natural Capital Committee

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to support the initial work of the Natural Capital Committee.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is in the process of establishing the Natural Capital Committee which will advise the government on the state of English Natural Capital. The Chair will be announced shortly and committee members are in the process of being appointed. To support the work of the Natural Capital Committee, a scoping study on the development of a natural capital asset check has been commissioned. We anticipate the committee will also draw heavily on the work of the National Ecosystem Assessment and follow-on work which is in the process of being commissioned.

Natural Resources

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress she has made on developing a scoping study for a natural capital asset check.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA held a competition for a research contract to produce a scoping study for the natural capital asset check. This check will allow a rapid assessment of the potential impact on the stock of specific environmental assets of proposed new policies and projects. The contract has now been awarded to Eftec and work started in February. The final report will be available early in the autumn. The National Ecosystem Assessment follow-on work, due to begin in June 2012, will also focus in part on the development of a natural capital asset check.

Recycling: South Lakeland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with Cumbria county council on the potential effect of proposals to close household waste recycling centres in the South Lakeland District on illegal fly tipping.

Richard Benyon: No discussions have been held with Cumbria county council about this issue. Local authorities are best placed to decide on the waste management strategies for their areas, taking into account local needs, economic efficiencies and the need to protect the environment.
	We monitor fly-tippping through the national Flycapture reporting system and publish data annually that can help local authorities assess the effectiveness of their waste management strategies.

Timber: Waste

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to consult on a landfill restriction on wood waste.

Richard Benyon: As part of our commitment in the waste policy review 2011, we will consult on restricting wood waste from landfill before the end of 2012. Our aim is to divert the still substantial tonnages that end up in landfill to better uses up the waste hierarchy.

Water Supply: Prices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the average (a) metered and (b) unmetered water bill in each water company area in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: Ofwat is the independent economic regulator of water companies in England and Wales. Ofwat holds information on average metered and unmetered water bills for each company for the last 10 years. The figures provided in the following tables are water only average bills and are in 2011-12 prices. Over the last 10 years £21 billion has been invested to improve water services across England and Wales.
	
		
			 Average metered and unmetered water only bills , 2001-02 to 2010- 11 
			 £ 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 
			 Water and sewerage companies Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water 
			 Anglian 181 128 174 127 173 136 181 132 
			 Dwr Cymru 183 95 180 114 175 110 173 110 
			 Northumbrian 124 105 123 103 123 102 134 111 
			 Essex and Suffolk (Water only) 168 113 169 115 171 115 188 130 
			 Severn Trent 156 126 154 125 156 129 158 131 
			 South West 171 111 179 123 186 134 196 137 
			 Southern 127 120 125 117 124 116 122 110 
			 Thames 147 131 147 131 148 132 153 132 
			 United Utilities 147 136 152 132 158 147 177 154 
			 Wessex 163 130 165 128 171 138 179 143 
			 Yorkshire (including York City Water Works from 2003-04) 150 123 151 125 155 130 159 135 
			 York City Water Works(1) 126 93 126 99 — — — — 
			 Water only companies         
			 Bristol 152 115 151 130 151 133 148 125 
			 Cambridge 141 115 133 116 133 110 131 110 
			 Dee Valley 162 104 161 101 159 104 157 105 
			 Portsmouth 104 121 102 114 101 103 100 98 
			 Sembcorp Bournemouth Water 141 121 144 111 144 124 151 130 
			 South East (including Mid Kent Water from 2008-09) 172 174 175 149 177 149 179 147 
			 Mid Kent Water(2) 176 144 183 144 183 154 183 143 
			 South Staffordshire Water 121 117 119 117 117 118 118 117 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 169 147 173 154 168 154 170 151 
			 Veolia Water Central (formerly Three Valleys, including North Surrey from 2003-04) 158 124 160 125 160 125 161 139 
			 North Surrey(3) 147 119 150 130 — — — — 
			 Veolia Water East (formerly Tendring Hundred) 230 154 234 168 257 169 264 174 
			 Veolia Water South East (formerly Folkestone and Dover) 184 142 195 145 205 145 210 148 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 
			 Water and sewerage companies Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water 
			 Anglian 196 150 199 164 225 164 229 164 
			 Dwr Cymru 193 127 199 128 203 132 209 135 
			 Northumbrian 143 119 148 123 153 120 153 116 
			 Essex and Suffolk (Water only) 201 136 205 146 213 152 213 156 
			 Severn Trent 167 147 171 154 174 149 173 150 
			 South West 224 153 255 166 284 180 300 181 
			 Southern 137 121 144 127 145 131 143 133 
			 Thames 192 163 199 169 207 176 207 182 
			 United Utilities 170 161 182 155 189 166 193 161 
			 Wessex 197 156 215 171 239 180 249 186 
			 Yorkshire (including York City Water Works from 2003-04) 168 138 174 145 177 147 181 145 
			 York City Water Works(1) — — — — — — — — 
			 Water only companies         
			 Bristol 168 144 171 147 174 151 181 152 
			 Cambridge 147 123 148 120 146 128 139 117 
			 Dee Valley 164 111 158 114 156 112 164 117 
			 Portsmouth 100 102 99 94 101 91 103 91 
			 Sembcorp Bournemouth Water 170 143 176 143 178 144 175 140 
			 South East (including Mid Kent Water from 2008-09) 206 181 203 144 211 157 206 161 
			 Mid Kent Water(2) 198 162 200 148 205 147 — — 
			 South Staffordshire Water 129 124 133 131 137 128 139 127 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 191 159 196 154 197 159 190 161 
			 Veolia Water Central (formerly Three Valleys, including North Surrey from 2003-04) 183 152 183 151 185 159 184 153 
			 North Surrey(3) — — — — — — — — 
			 Veolia Water East (formerly Tendring Hundred) 260 181 246 179 236 167 219 171 
			 Veolia Water South East (formerly Folkestone and Dover) 219 160 233 169 246 177 249 173 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 Water and sewerage companies Unmetered water Metered water Unmetered water Metered water 
			 Anglian 233 167 230 164 
			 Dwr Cymru 212 135 206 133 
			 Northumbrian 153 116 165 129 
			 Essex and Suffolk (Water only) 216 160 239 172 
			 Severn Trent 174 153 182 162 
			 South West 312 186 323 187 
			 Southern 146 129 148 134 
			 Thames 208 188 215 191 
			 United Utilities 195 164 201 167 
			 Wessex 251 183 260 186 
			 Yorkshire (including York City Water Works from 2003-04) 182 148 183 140 
			 York City Water Works(1) — — — — 
			 Water only companies     
			 Bristol 181 151 185 148 
			 Cambridge 137 123 145 118 
			 Dee Valley 161 119 165 119 
		
	
	
		
			 Portsmouth 104 91 99 84 
			 Sembcorp Bournemouth Water 162 141 169 148 
			 South East (including Mid Kent Water from 2008-09) 214 159 227 153 
			 Mid Kent Water(2) — — — — 
			 South Staffordshire Water 139 131 142 133 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 189 163 189 163 
			 Veolia Water Central (formerly Three Valleys, including North Surrey from 2003-04) 186 157 192 160 
			 North Surrey(3) — — — — 
			 Veolia Water East (formerly Tendring Hundred) 212 177 230 161 
			 Veolia Water South East (formerly Folkestone and Dover) 259 174 251 181 
			 (1) York City Water Works merged with Yorkshire Water in 2003-04 (2) Mid Kent Water Merged with South East Water in 2008-09 (3) North Surrey Water Merged with Three Valleys Water in 2003-04

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Deregulation

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of potential savings to UK businesses resulting from deregulation.

Mark Prisk: Under the One In, One Out system, some 52 deregulatory measures have been undertaken, which represent savings to business of some £3.3 billion per annum. This is in addition to reductions in existing regulations, as a result of the Red Tape Challenge.

University Applications

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of applications to English universities for courses commencing in September 2012.

David Willetts: The latest UCAS figures show that 30.6% of UK school leavers applied for university, down from 31.4% the year before but still the second highest on record. This will still be a competitive year, like any other, as people continue to understand that university remains a good long term investment in their future.

Departmental Ethnic Minority Staff

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of senior civil servants in his Department were from an ethnic minority in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not know the ethnic origin of all its senior civil servants. Ethnic origin data of staff are provided voluntarily by staff. Figures provided reflect members of the senior civil servants who are known to have a BME background.
	
		
			 Date Total no. of SCS No. of SCS BME declarations Percentage of BME declarations 
			 31 March 2010 249 11 4.40 
			 31 March 2011 221 10 4.50 
			 29 February 2012 205 (1)— (1)— 
			 (1) Denotes staff of fewer than 10 people. This is done to protect the identity of individuals and keep the information anonymous

Employment: Economic Growth

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what statistical data his Department holds on the effect of employment regulation on economic growth; and if he will place a copy of any such data in the Library.

Norman Lamb: Employment regulation in most countries applies to the whole country. Therefore, it is not possible usually to isolate the effect of employment regulation on economic growth within an individual country as there is no ‘policy off' position with which the current situation can be compared.
	Therefore, most analytical comparisons of the effect of employment regulation tend to be based on international comparison. However, international comparisons themselves have difficulties in isolating the effect of employment regulation on economic growth.
	Firstly, the immediate effect of employment regulation is likely to be on the amount of legal employment opportunities that are available and it is not always clear how these translate into economic growth.
	Secondly, the employment regulation system in any country is just one part of the overall social protection system. For example, social protection in the UK tends to be delivered through the tax and benefit system rather than through employment regulation. It is, therefore, difficult to isolate the effect of employment regulation from some other part of the overall system or to distinguish separate from joint effects.
	The effect of interactions between different elements of policy is particularly important. As the OECD concluded in their reassessment of their Jobs Study in 2006
	‘there is no single combination of policies and institutions to achieve and maintain good labour market performance.'
	Despite these difficulties the OECD have developed an employment protection index which is now well established and their survey of analysis—including work from the UK—on the effects of employment regulation on employment has informed the conclusions on best practice in labour market policies that are set out in their reassessment of the jobs study review in 2006.
	Some of the key references on the work of the OECD on employment regulation will be placed in the Libraries of the House together with a summary note and some of the key documents.
	My assessment of this evidence is that the UK has one of the highest employment rates in the world and that its light employment regulation system is a contributory factor in this. Businesses and workers have the freedom to devise the form of work that suits them and so it enables work to be combined with other responsibilities and the rest of their lives. And it is one of the reasons why, for example, female employment rates are amongst the highest in the world in the UK. The light employment regulation system provides a more diverse range of types and patterns of work which enables women to combine work with, amongst other things, their family responsibilities.

Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of food procured by his Department (a) meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering and (b) is from British sources.

Norman Lamb: The Department's catering and conference services are contracted to BaxterStorey who source the food used.
	BaxterStorey comply with 19 of the 21 criteria in the Government Buying Standards and the majority of the voluntary best practice criteria.
	During 2011 92% of indigenous food and 85% of all food was sourced from the UK.

Post Offices: Photography

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on private photographers of allowing the Post Office to provide digital ID pictures for driving licences and passports; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no such assessment. In respect of driving licences, this service has been placed with Post Office Ltd by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. No such service is currently provided by Post Office Ltd in respect of passports.

Regional Growth Fund

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects bidders from the first round of the Regional Growth Fund to receive the funds allocated to them.

Mark Prisk: 80% of Round 1 beneficiaries (90% of Round 1 funding by value) have an agreed terms and conditions. Half of round-one projects have started, to date 48 final offer letters have been signed at a value of £190 million. Beneficiaries who have been identified as not progressing, their projects by summer 2012 will have their allocation recycled into Round 3 of the fund.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has introduced 36 regulations between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012. The Statements of New Regulations 2 and 3, published on BIS website in April 2011 and September 2011, give details of all measures that are within the scope of the ‘One In, One Out’ methodology. Impact assessments for all the regulations are also published on the impact assessment library:
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/
	Provision of information on the cost to the public purse on regulations made would entail disproportionate cost.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made on obtaining state aid approval in respect of the Royal Mail pensions fund.

Norman Lamb: The Government continue to work closely with the European Commission to achieve a decision by 31 March 2012 which will allow Government to implement its policy of relieving Royal Mail's historic pension deficit.
	We expect to receive a decision by the 31 March 2012.

Telephone Services: Fees and Charges

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the financial effects on low-income consumers of the cost of calling customer helplines which use 08 telephone numbers.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no such assessment. Responsibility for regulating the telecommunications industry lies with the Office of Communications (Ofcom).

Trade Agreements: South Korea

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the European car industry of the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement with South Korea.

Norman Lamb: European Union (EU) vehicle exports to South Korea rose significantly in 2011, and now constitute 5% of imports to the South Korean market. The reduction of the customs duty and the elimination of several non-tariff barriers boosted EU exports in this category by 19%.
	It is too early to fully assess the impact of EU-Korea FTA as it only came provisionally into force in July 2011. However, car exports from the UK to South Korea showed robust growth of 18% last year. We are looking to consolidate this growth-sector by resolving outstanding Free Trade Agreement issues on vehicle safety checks and standards.
	Vehicle imports from South Korea to the EU in the 12 months to September 2011 are up 26%, but this follows a big fall in the preceding years. Total imports of vehicles from South Korea are only just over half what they were at mid-2007.
	There are bilateral safeguards in place to prevent harm to industry as a result of the Free Trade Agreement.

Trading Standards

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the total spent by (a) local authorities and (b) the Government on trading standards services; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Trading Standards are funded by local authorities and as reported on the revenue outturn (RO) forms collected by the Department for Communities and Local Government the total net current expenditure for 2010-11 by local authorities in England on Trading Standards is £171,843,000.
	BIS does not hold any information on how much is spent by the Government on trading standards services.

Wellingborough

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will relocate his Department to Wellingborough.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no current plans to relocate to Wellingborough, but we will keep the matter under review.

EDUCATION

Adoption

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he plans that local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies will work more collaboratively.

Tim Loughton: The Government's Adoption Action Plan and the report of the Expert Working Group we set up to improve and speed up the adoption process is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyounqpeople/families/adoption/a00205069/action-plan-for-adoption-tackling-delay
	The group has noted in its report that there are benefits for all adoption agencies where local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies work together in consortia. As part of our work for a further publication in the summer, we intend to review the effectiveness of local authority commissioning arrangements for adoption and to consider whether further action should be taken to increase the role of voluntary adoption agencies in the system.

Child Protection Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2011 to the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire, Official Report, column 639W, on the Child Protection Review, what options his Department has explored with statutory partners to deliver Professor Munro's plan for a transparent and co-ordinated offer of early help for children and families.

Tim Loughton: In December I confirmed that there is sufficient legislation to realise Professor Munro's recommendation on early help and that we would work with partners to clarify existing legislation and emphasise the importance of early help. In the meantime, we encouraged local areas to continue to work to provide early help for the compelling arguments that Professor Munro articulated.
	I know that a number of local authorities are already demonstrating innovative approaches to early help and are starting to make Professor Munro's vision a reality. Through the revised statutory guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, we will clarify how existing legislation on early help applies to sector partners and, in response to feedback from the sector, we will consult on a definition of early help.
	I recognise that there are strongly held, and wide-ranging views on the revision of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’. I believe it is important to take time to get this right. We will therefore launch a full formal consultation from May with final publication in the autumn.
	As part of our wider response to Professor Munro's review, we have taken forward a number of reforms that will encourage and support local areas to focus effectively on early help. On 31 January Ofsted published its new framework for the inspection of local authority arrangements for the protection of children. The new framework and arrangements place greater emphasis on the child's journey from needing to receiving help and on professional practice and judgment.
	On 23 January the Department launched a public consultation on our proposals for nationally collected children's safeguarding performance information. This has been informed by Professor Munro's final report and discussions with sector partners and builds on our publication in December of recommended locally collected performance information. Together these will help local areas monitor the impact of early help services. Officials from the Department and I have also held discussions with groups of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) Chairs to consider how all LSCBs can be effective in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of help provided to children and families including early help.

Children: Abuse

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on how many children have been abused after being branded either as witches or possessed by evil spirits in each of the last (a) five and (b) 30 years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 13 March 2012
	The number of cases in this country of child abuse linked to belief, including belief in witchcraft or spirit possession, is believed to be small. Where such abuse occurs, however, it causes horrific distress and suffering to the child. It is likely that a proportion of this type of abuse remains unreported.
	Research commissioned by the Department for Education in 2006 reviewed child abuse cases occurring between 2000 and 2005 to identify any cases where the abuse was linked to accusations of possession or witchcraft. 38 cases involving 47 children were found to be relevant and sufficiently well documented. The children came from a variety of backgrounds including African, South Asian and European. There has been no research conducted by the Department since the 2006 report and there are no official statistics on this type of abuse.
	The Department for Education has this year commissioned a small-scale research study to draw together what is already known about the issue. It is hoped to publish the report of this research in the autumn.
	Over the past year, the Government have been working with partners in the statutory, voluntary, faith and community sectors on proposals to tackle faith-based child abuse. During the next phase of this work, the proposals will be shared with a wider group of professionals, voluntary sector organisations, faith and community groups to build on what we have developed so far.
	The proposals currently focus on the four themes of engaging communities; empowering practitioners; supporting victims and witnesses; and communicating our messages.

Children: Day Care

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure the funding allocated for provision of childcare for disadvantaged two year olds reaches those families in greatest need;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with local authorities and their representative bodies regarding the level of funding required to provide childcare for all disadvantaged two year olds;
	(3)  what criteria his Department considered, in addition to the criteria used to assess free school meal provision, to determine which two year olds should receive free of charge early education;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of a reduction in the number of Sure Start centres on the capacity of local authorities to deliver early education for disadvantaged two year olds;
	(5)  what funding his Department plans to provide for childcare for disadvantaged two year olds in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Sarah Teather: The Government have committed to extending free early education to two-year-olds in two phases: to 130,000 two-year-olds from September 2013, and 260,000 two-year-olds from September 2014. Funding for the entitlement will rise to £760 million in 2014-15. Decisions on funding beyond that will be considered at the next spending review.
	Officials have regular contact with local authorities' representatives regarding the funding and delivery of the free early education entitlement. The national funding envelope for the new entitlement was fixed with reference to the pilot offer for two-year-olds delivered in every English local authority between 2008 and 2011.
	The Government intend to create a legal entitlement to free early education for eligible two-year-olds, thereby ensuring that the funding is targeted at families that will benefit the most. We have consulted on the proposal that, in September 2013, free places would be offered to children whose families meet the criteria also used for free school meals, and to looked after children. The impact assessment published with the consultation explained that an alternative option considered was to give local authorities discretion to define eligibility locally.
	The Government intend that, as for the free early education entitlement for three and four-year-olds, places for two-year-olds will be available in a range of settings in the private, voluntary, independent and maintained sectors. Sure Start Children's Centres will play a key role in the new entitlement; identifying and supporting families to access places, and in some cases directly delivering places. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient children's centres to meet local needs and to consult before making any significant changes, including closing a centre. Although, there has been a net reduction in the recorded number of children's centres since April 2010, the vast majority of these have been part of sensible reorganisations and mergers. There have been less than 10 outright closures since April 2010.

Children: Protection

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on (a) referrals to children's services departments relating to child protection concerns and (b) child protection plans put in place in each local authority area, in the last three years; and what the child population was of each local authority area in each such year.

Sarah Teather: Information on the number of referrals to children's social services and the number of children who became the subject of a child protection plan is collected annually. However we do not collect reason for referral so cannot split the number of referrals in to those relating to child protection concerns and those requesting other services. The available information has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Figures are published annually and figures for 2010-11 are available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001041/index.shtml
	Table 14 contains the number of referrals and table 18 contains the number of children who became the subject of a child protection plan.

Families

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research he has considered on the number and percentage of children who are happy with their family life.

Nick Gibb: The Department has considered two recent research studies looking at children's happiness with their family life.
	The ‘Good Childhood Report’ 2012 was published by the Children's Society and reported the latest findings from their research programme examining children's well-being. The report found that the majority of children aged eight to 15 were happy with their family relationships, with a mean happiness score of 8.5 out of 10. Just 3% of children gave a score of less than five out of 10. The report also found that how children felt about their family relationships was strongly linked to their overall well-being. A copy of the report is available on the Children's Society website:
	http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/good_childhood_report_2012_final.pdf
	The early findings from the ‘Understanding Society’ study were published in 2011 and included an analysis of family relationships. The study found that young people aged 11 to 15 were in general very happy with their family situation. It included an analysis of young people who were ‘completely happy’ with their family situation. The study found that these young people tended to be younger, to live in households where their parents judged their relationship with their partner to be better, to eat a family meal and to discuss important matters with their parents. It also found that they tended not to live in households with younger siblings, not to live in lone-parent families and not to quarrel with their parents. A copy of the report is available on the Understanding Society website:
	http://research.understandingsociety.org.uk/findings/early-findings

Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of food procured by his Department (a) meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering and (b) is from British sources.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The Department for Education, through its catering provider, meets all of the mandatory requirements set-out in the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering. In some the Department is already meeting the defined best practice standards.
	(b) In 2010-11 the proportion of food procured from British Sources by the Department was 54.4%. The latest figures suggest that for 2011-12 this figure will have risen to 59.9%.

GCE A Level

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils from (a) grammar schools in Northern Ireland and (b) independent schools in England achieved (i) three A grades at A level and (ii) three A level passes in 2011.

Nick Gibb: The Department is not responsible for education in Northern Ireland and does not hold the requested information for Northern Irish schools. The Department for Education Northern Ireland (DENI) have published A and AS level headline statistics for 2011 on their website, which are available at:
	http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/80-curriculum-and-assessment/115-curriculum-and-assessment-qualifications-pg/a_and_as_level_headline_statistics_2011.htm
	The information requested for England is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage of students (1,2,3)  achieving three or more A levels graded A or A* and three or more A level passes at independent schools; coverage England, year 2010/11 (revised) 
			  Percentages 
			 Admissions policy of school (4) Students achieving three or more A levels graded A or A* Students achieving three or more A level passes at any grade 
			 Independent mainstream(5) 32.8 89.3 
			 Independent(6) 32.7 89.2 
			 (1) Students entered for a GCE or Applied GCE A level or double award, not including equivalent qualifications. (2) Including attempts and achievements by these students in previous academic years. (3) 16 to 18-year-old students entered for GCEA/CE A level qualifications. (4) School type as recorded in Edubase. (5) Excluding non-maintained and independent special schools. (6) Including non-maintained and independent special schools. Source: 2011 Post 16 School and College Performance Tables (Revised data)

GCSE

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils who had achieved (a) level four and (b) level five at key stage 2 did not achieve at least five GCSEs at grade C or above including English and mathematics in each local authority area in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Percentage of pupils who did not achieve at least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs, whose prior attainment was Level 4 or Level 5 at Key Stage 2, by local authority (1,2 ) Year: 2010/11 (Revised), Coverage: England 
			    Percentage of pupils who did not achieve at least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs whose prior attainment was : 
			 Region/ l ocal authority LA number Number of pupils at end Key Stage 4 ( a ) Level 4 at Key Stage 2 (%) (b) Level 5 at Key Stage 2 (%) 
			 North East     
			 Darlington E06000005 1,129 37.5 2.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Durham E06000047 5,481 43.4 3.0 
			 Gateshead E08000020 2,219 46.5 4.0 
			 Hartlepool E06000001 1,285 47.4 6.3 
			 Middlesbrough E06000002 1,600 66.3 8.7 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021 2,553 47.0 7.0 
			 North Tyneside E08000022 2,165 47.2 5.1 
			 Northumberland E06000048 3,650 48.4 4.8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland E06000003 1,858 54.1 6.6 
			 South Tyneside E08000023 1,797 43.9 4.1 
			 Stockton-on-Tees E06000004 2,262 50.3 6.7 
			 Sunderland E08000024 3,306 47.0 4.0 
			      
			 North West     
			 Blackburn with Darwen E06000008 1,815 41.6 4.1 
			 Blackpool E06000009 1,557 58.8 12.0 
			 Bolton E08000001 3,418 42.9 5.1 
			 Bury E08000002 2,199 43.4 3.5 
			 Cheshire East E06000049 3,839 44.1 5.9 
			 Cheshire West and Chester E06000050 3,874 45.0 4.1 
			 Cumbria El0000006 5,716 51.5 6.0 
			 Halton E06000006 1,462 46.9 5.4 
			 Knowsley E08000011 1,578 58.2 6.3 
			 Lancashire E10000017 12,878 45.5 4.9 
			 Liverpool E08000012 5,136 49.9 5.7 
			 Manchester E08000003 4,432 45.9 5.9 
			 Oldham E08000004 2,967 46.7 5.0 
			 Rochdale E08000005 2,449 47.1 6.2 
			 Salford E08000006 2,198 47.9 6.3 
			 Sefton E08000014 3,383 49.8 5.1 
			 St Helens E08000013 1,977 51.1 6.7 
			 Stockport E08000007 3,006 40.9 3.2 
			 Tameside E08000008 2,845 48.1 6.2 
			 Trafford E08000009 2,829 41.1 3.3 
			 Warrington E05000007 2,475 41.9 3.7 
			 Wigan E08000010 3,772 48.7 4.2 
			 Wirral E08000015 3,856 41.2 3.1 
			      
			 Yorkshire and the Humber     
			 Barnsley E08000016 2,606 57.8 5.2 
			 Bradford E08000032 5,679 50.7 6.7 
			 Calderdale E08000033 2,590 48.5 6.0 
			 Doncaster E08000017 3,536 49.3 5.5 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011 3,952 51.7 6.2 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of E06000010 2,613 56.9 8.8 
			 Kirklees E08000034 4,590 43.3 4.7 
			 Leeds E08000035 8,001 51.5 5.8 
			 North East Lincolnshire E06000012 1,886 45.8 4.6 
			 North Lincolnshire E06000013 2,042 53.3 5.3 
			 North Yorkshire El0000023 6,792 44.7 4.4 
			 Rotherham E08000018 3,491 40.7 2.6 
			 Sheffield E08000019 5,514 49.9 7.2 
			 Wakefield E08000036 3,985 45.0 5.2 
			 York E06000014 1,775 43.8 3.2 
			      
			 East Midlands     
			 Derby E0600O015 2,837 43.5 3.6 
			 Derbyshire El0000007 8,750 48.7 5.5 
			 Leicester E06000016 3,393 41.4 3.6 
			 Leicestershire E10000018 7,460 47.8 6.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Lincolnshire E10000019 8.427 42.1 3.3 
			 Northamptonshire E10000021 7,893 48.3 6.0 
			 Nottingham E06000018 2,573 54.4 8.1 
			 Nottinghamshire El0000024 8,800 45.9 6.1 
			 Rutland E06000017 454 47.2 6.2 
			      
			 West Midlands     
			 Birmingham E08000025 12,159 40.1 4.1 
			 Coventry E08000026 3,471 45.3 4.4 
			 Dudley E08000027 3,805 44.3 4.3 
			 Herefordshire E06000019 1,877 46.8 4.1 
			 Sandwell E08000028 3,659 44.3 5.5 
			 Shropshire E06000051 3,207 48.7 6.2 
			 Solihull E08000029 3,027 46.9 7.2 
			 Staffordshire El0000028 9,408 47.9 6.0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent E06000021 2,618 50.2 5.1 
			 Telford and Wrekin E06000020 2,038 46.2 6.8 
			 Walsall E08000030 3,474 44.3 5.0 
			 Warwickshire El0000031 6,022 48.6 5.0 
			 Wolverhampton E08000031 2,558 38.3 3.0 
			 Worcestershire El0000034 6,064 43.1 4.0 
			      
			 East of England     
			 Bedford E06000055 1,830 44.1 5.5 
			 Cambridgeshire El0000003 5,967 48.8 5.3 
			 Central Bedfordshire E06000056 2,857 47.8 5.8 
			 Essex E10000012 15,887 46.4 5.2 
			 Hertfordshire E10000015 12,874 43.3 3.5 
			 Luton E06000032 2,408 38.0 5.4 
			 Norfolk El0000020 8,887 46.5 5.7 
			 Peterborough E06000031 2,276 52.2 8.8 
			 Southend-on-Sea E06000033 2,076 44.3 3.6 
			 Suffolk E10000029 7,741 48.9 5.1 
			 Thurrock E06000034 1,782 35.8 3.9 
			      
			 London     
			 Inner London     
			 Camden E09000007 1,491 39.8 4.8 
			 City of London E09000001 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Hackney E09000012 1,485 38.8 4.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013 1,071 28.0 2.6 
			 Haringey E09000014 2,107 34.9 3.6 
			 Islington E09000019 1,351 38.5 7.6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea E09000020 581 32.1 2.1 
			 Lambeth E09000022 1,611 32.8 7.8 
			 Lewisham E09000023 2,202 40.3 5.2 
			 Newham E09000025 3,311 34.6 4.4 
			 Southwark E09000028 2,337 34.2 5.1 
			 Tower Hamlets E09000030 2,553 36.4 5.0 
			 Wandsworth E09000032 1,846 38.5 2.8 
			 Westminster E09000033 1,377 35.2 3.9 
			      
			 Outer London     
			 Barking and Dagenham E09000002 2,060 41.5 6.7 
			 Barnet E09000003 3,387 36.7 2.7 
			 Bexley E09000004 3,260 42.3 3.4 
			 Brent E09000005 2,840 32.7 2.9 
			 Bromley E09000006 3,438 37.9 2.8 
			 Croydon E09000008 3,719 38.1 4.4 
		
	
	
		
			 Ealing E09000009 2,811 40.0 3.2 
			 Enfield E09000010 3,563 41.4 5.2 
			 Greenwich E09000011 2,275 41.3 6.5 
			 Harrow E09000015 2,141 34.7 2.8 
			 Havering E09000016 3,080 44.0 4.1 
			 Hillingdon E09000017 2,982 44.6 5.6 
			 Hounslow E09000018 2,586 38.3 4.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames E09000021 1,524 37.7 2.6 
			 Merton E09000024 1,525 36.7 3.7 
			 Redbridge E09000026 3,256 32.3 3.7 
			 Richmond upon Thames E09000027 1,374 41.9 3.3 
			 Sutton E09000029 2,636 37.1 2.2 
			 Waltham Forest E09000031 2,456 43.3 5.6 
			      
			 South East     
			 Bracknell Forest E06000036 1,093 46.6 4.3 
			 Brighton and Hove E06000043 2,324 55.0 8.8 
			 Buckinghamshire El0000002 5,525 45.2 3.0 
			 East Sussex El0000011 5,201 42.4 4.6 
			 Hampshire El0000014 13,860 46.0 4.1 
			 Isle of Wight E06000046 1,485 57.1 9.3 
			 Kent El0000016 16,173 43.4 3.4 
			 Medway E06000035 3,231 46.2 3.7 
			 Milton Keynes E06000042 2,707 50.3 6.9 
			 Oxfordshire E10000025 6,179 48.6 4.1 
			 Portsmouth E06000044 1,949 53.0 7.9 
			 Reading E06000033 987 54.1 3.3 
			 Slough E06000039 1,570 37.0 2.6 
			 Southampton E06000045 2,044 49.0 3.9 
			 Surrey El0000030 10,725 44.9 4.7 
			 West Berkshire E06000037 1,983 48.0 5.3 
			 West Sussex E10000032 8,266 46.4 4.6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040 1,516 39.8 4.9 
			 Wokingham E06000041 1,703 40.2 3.4 
			      
			 South West     
			 Bath and North East Somerset E06000022 2,134 42.6 4.2 
			 Bournemouth E06000028 1,703 52.2 4.2 
			 Bristol, City of E06000023 3,030 50.0 4.6 
			 Cornwall E06000052 5,750 48.4 6.3 
			 Devon E10000008 7,503 47.9 5.4 
			 Dorset E10000009 4,220 47.5 6.4 
			 Gloucestershire E10000013 6,824 47.6 4.7 
			 Isles of Scilly E06000053 19 27.3 (4)— 
			 North Somerset E06000024 2,303 50.0 7.3 
			 Plymouth E06000026 2,885 47.6 5.4 
			 Poole E06000029 1,601 58.6 5.7 
			 Somerset El0000027 5,480 47.3 4.6 
			 South Gloucestershire E06000025 3,254 51.9 6.3 
			 Swindon E06000030 2,196 55.0 7.5 
			 Torbay E06000027 1,490 55.2 4.6 
			 Wiltshire E06000054 5,148 43.5 4.3 
			      
			 England (Maintained sector)(1) E92000001 564,874 45.60 4.90 
			 (1) Figures in this table do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. Figures cover achievements in maintained schools including academies but exclude hospital schools, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and Alternative Provision (AP). (2) Figures are calculated as a percentage of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. (3) Not applicable. (4 )Figure suppressed due to small numbers. Source: School and College Performance Tables.

Geography: GCSE

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason changes to the geography GCSE are being implemented in September 2012, when updates to GCSEs in history and English literature will not be implemented until September 2013.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the statutory regulator of qualifications (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, Ofqual). Glenys Stacey, the chief executive of Ofqual has written to my hon. Friend, and a copy of the letter has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Glenys Stacey, dated 8 March 2011
	I am writing regarding your parliamentary question about the changes to GCSE subjects (Geography, History and English literature) being implemented at different stages during the next two academic years.
	As you will be aware, redeveloping qualifications to a high standard takes time. So we are dealing with this in stages—asking awarding organisations to focus on Geography first of all as this is the subject that initially caused us concern. They will then be asked to focus on the new qualifications in History and English literature with an implementation date of September 2013.
	If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Grammar Schools

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which agency is responsible for regulating the eligibility criteria for admission to grammar schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 March  2012 
	The School Admissions Code, which came into force on 1 February 2012, sets out a national framework that ensures that all state-funded school places are awarded in a fair and open way. It is the responsibility of every admission authority to ensure that the admission arrangements they determine are compliant with the code. For a grammar school, the admission authority is either the local authority or the academy trust.
	As a result of the changes in the Education Act 2011, anyone can object to these determined arrangements and the Office of the Schools Adjudicator will consider these objections. If any arrangements are found to be unlawful, it is the responsibility of the relevant admission authority to modify their admission arrangements as quickly as possible.
	This is separate to the ability of parents and governors to decide upon whether to continue to operate with selective arrangements as governed by Sections 105 to 109 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the associated grammar school ballot regulations, or the individual Funding Agreement of former grammar schools that have converted to academies.

History: Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the teaching of the history of the European Union in schools.

Nick Gibb: We want to ensure that pupils have a firm grasp of history, and especially British history. The current national curriculum for history does not require schools to teach their pupils about the history of the European Union. The Government are reviewing the national curriculum in England, including the place of history in the school curriculum and how we can best ensure that pupils gain a sound knowledge of key historical events and personalities, and in particular a firm grasp of British history.

Teachers: Pensions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to publish the next valuation of the teachers' pension scheme; and when he expects the next actuarial review of the teachers' pension scheme to take place.

Nick Gibb: The next actuarial review of the teachers’ pensions scheme (TPS) will take place in advance of the implementation of the scheme reforms in 2015. The reforms stem from the work of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission (IPSPC) and discussions with teacher and employer representatives, which have led to the proposed final agreement on reforms to the TPS that was published on 9 March 2012.

Young People: Unemployment

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people aged between 16 and 19 years were not in education, employment or training in each quarter of 2011.

Tim Loughton: Quarterly data on the number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET in England are published in the statistical release (SR) “NEET Quarterly Brief”. The most recent version was released on 23 February 2012 at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001058/index.shtml
	The following table shows the number and proportion of young people of academic age 16 to 18 who were NEET in each quarter of 2011.
	
		
			 Number and proportion of 16 to 18-year- olds NEET , Q1 to Q4 2011 
			  Q1 2011 Q2 2011 Q3 2011 Q4 2011 
			 Number 159,000 186,000 267,000 178,000 
			 Percentage of population 8 10 14 10 
			 Note: These figures are not seasonally adjusted. The NEET rate is known to be seasonal, with rates tending to rise throughout the academic year, so comparisons should only be made with the same quarter in previous years.